Domaine Vincent Girardin Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2004

The Girardin family has been making wine as far back as the 17th century, making Vincent Girardin an 11th generation winemaker. In 1982, Vincent incorporated his namesake négociant house with only 2 hectares of vines. Since then, Vincent has steadily grown his production, with both purchases of land and grapes. Today, the Girardin estate represents about 20 hectares of vines spread throughout 42 parcels in 8 different villages in the Cote de Beaune. Bought fruit completes the range.   Vincent adheres to the principles of integrated and reasoned viticulture, emphasizing the benefits of bio-dynamism in the vineyards (no herbicide or insecticides are used, the ground is deeply plowed, compost comes from a biodynamic farm in the district) while still allowing himself the flexibility to apply a soft treatment to the vineyards should bad meteorological conditions seriously threaten the sanitary condition of the grapes.   Vincent is committed to making wines that are a direct expression of the individual grapes and terroirs. Harvest is done by hand and grapes, both of the estate and bought, are sorted twice before entering the winery (once when picking and again on the sorting table). During fermentations, strict and daily monitorings are the norm. Each cuvée represents a different hillside and a different exposure; thus, the winemaker’s decisions are paramount. Vincent’s roots are deep in the most prestigious terroirs of Burgundy. He knows every vine, every parcel of land. He ensures that the highest quality is maintained by following each wine’s development every step of the way, along with his winemaker, Eric Germain, respecting, at all times, the most important element of Burgundy – the individuality of its terroirs.   The white wines of the estate are lightly pressed and after a gentle racking of the must, put in French oak casks (with 10 to 35% of new oak depending upon the appellation). Fermentations begin with only indigenous yeasts and ageing is long, the wine resting on fine lees for 14 to 20 months, depending on the cuvée. The lunar calendar is consulted to find an auspicious bottling date. These wines find their essence in their finesse, extreme aromatic purity, and fine balance between acidity and richness.   The red wines of the estate are produced from partially de-stemmed grapes that ferment in stainless steel thermo-regulated tanks with their natural yeasts. The must is very gently pumped over and crushed in order to avoid extracting harsh tannins, always keeping in mind the search for purity and terroir expression. The must is then gently pressed and clean juice is put into French oak casks (with 30 to 60% of new oak depending upon the appellation) to settle. The wines are aged for 16 to 18 months on fine lees and also bottled according to the lunar calendar without fining or filtering. The resulting wines are often fruit-forward and elegant, with supple tannins.   “Expressing the emotion of each individual terroir is of the utmost importance” – Vincent Girardin Source: http://vinconnect.com/wineries/girardin/ Read less