2023 Justin Girardin Santenay Vieilles Vignes Rouge

Justin Girardin is the 13th generation of a family business that has been in existence since 1570. The winery owns 17 hectares, the largest part of which is in Santenay (Côte de Beaune). In this appellation he pushes the boundaries of quality. Justin has been using methods that correspond to bio(-dynamic) for years. The goal: a healthy nature with healthy grapes that reflect the terroir of the individual vineyards. For that reason, he is also frugal with new oak barrels. Best of all are the extremely favorable prices for Burgundy, a rarity these days.

Justin Girardin is out in the vineyards as often as he can. He uses a minimal intervision: nature is leading and he only adjusts if necessary. He does this very carefully, by the way: remove buds to limit the yield, remove excess leaves where necessary.

Justin has been working for years according to methods that correspond to biological (-dynamic) working. For example, he plants new vines according to the lunar calendar, as is common in biodynamic viticulture. He covers prunings with soil, after which he reuses them as compost. He regularly plows the vineyards to promote micro-organism activity in the soil. Roots on the surface are gently removed so that the roots penetrate deeper into the soil, resulting in more intense wines.

Special is the wide variety of old Chardonnay and Pinot Noir clones in the vineyards. This promotes biodiversity. The clones originated in these vineyards and were preserved through clone selection. It makes the wines unique and really tied to their location.