MAISON VINCENT GIRARDIN, MEURSAULT & RULLY VIELLES VIGNES
BURGUNDY, FRANCE 2019
"The old is new again at [Vincent] Girardin," John Mariani declared two years ago in Forbes, and those are words of poetry to all of us who love wines that are still made the traditional way, with care, deliberation, and slowness, and with methods that time has only affirmed.
Girardin has always bucked the trend. A pioneer of so-called biodynamic viticulture, an eyebrow-raising practice in hidebound Burgundy, it still bottles its wines in accordance with the lunar calendar. And at a time when many winemakers are opting for big-bodied wines with a high ABV, Girardin favors finesse and subtlety.
The result is a portfolio of white wines that is remarkable for their freshness and energy — and among the most distinctive and pleasurable in the marketplace.
We have two of them to bring you today, both old vine whites, and both embodying what Mariani has called the house style, one that favors "elegance" over "brawn."
Over the past decade, winemaker Eric Germain has significantly reduced the proportion of new barrels used in aging, from a high of 50% to around 10% today. The reason? "To stay as close as possible,” he says, “to our terroir.” His m.o. is to intervene as little as possible in the vinification process. In the field, only manual harvesting is allowed. In the cellar, everything is crushed by hand. The goal, Germain says, is to minimize extraction. At the same time, the maturation periods have only increased over the years, to provide the wines time to open up and fully express themselves.
The old-vine Meursault is a luxurious, pure wine made with grapes from 50-year-old vines that Girardin sourced from a variety of plots and terroirs. Pressing was done slowly, and filtration was kept to a minimum.
Often seen as an aperitif, their Rully is treated with much the same reverence. As with the Meursault, the grapes, from 40-year-old vines, were manually harvested, sorted on the vine, and pressed to obtain slow extraction. With this kind of craftsmanship, it’s a steal of a Burgundy deal at a best price of under $35 per bottle for our Concierge Family.
Together, the two of them make a wonderful pair.
The former is more conducive to slow, sensual contemplation, while the latter makes for a pretty ideal aperitif.
Both are superlative with food. The Meursault made excellent matches with several blue cheeses, a foie gras pate, grilled shellfish, and a preparation of chicken in white wine sauce. The Rully showed beautifully, meanwhile, with a grilled swordfish and romesco, along with a quiche and fondue.
Weeks later, I'm still thinking about their marvelous purity and minerality, and toying with all manner of potential pairings to try.
You don’t want to miss out on these two — order yours now!
*Offer NOT valid in-store. This offer is made pre-arrival, with wines estimated to be delivered to your preferred store in Spring 2022. With the supply chain issues that we are seeing globally, there may be some unforeseen delays which could affect the ETA. All sale prices are the lowest available at Total Wine & More and ONLY valid through Concierge Sales. No further discounts or coupons may be applied. Offer not valid in MI, NV, NY, or TN. This offer is for ONE WEEK, or until sold out, and will expire on Wednesday, March 2, 2022.
