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Maison Vincent Girardin, founded in 1980 by a young, ambitious winemaker, has a legacy of producing great white and red wines from the Côte de Beaune. In 2012, Vincent sold the operation to a long-standing partner, with winemaker Eric Germain now upholding the signature style of the wines: a Burgundian approach to a perfect blend of power, finesse, and elegance. This wine hails from the famed "Les Narvaux" lieu-dit in Meursault. This fresh, sloping, and stony site, with its classic limestone and chalk soils, asserts a very seductive Meursaultian nature. The old vines, with an average age of 40 years, contribute to the wine's concentration and complexity.
The 2020 Meursault "Les Narvaux" is a product of the meticulous, hands-on, and low-intervention approach of Maison Vincent Girardin. The grapes are hand-harvested and sorted in the vineyard before being gently pressed in a pneumatic press to ensure a slow extraction. The wine undergoes both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations in French oak barrels (15% new oak) using indigenous yeasts and native bacteria. A crucial detail is the wine's maturation: it sees a long aging period of 18 months on its fine lees without stirring, a regimen that builds body, richness, and complexity without overpowering the wine's natural terroir. The wine is bottled according to the lunar calendar, a final touch of tradition to honor the winemaking process.
"Les Narvaux" is a flattering wine with a beautifully balanced profile. The nose offers a captivating bouquet of white flowers, almond, and flinty minerality. The palate is lively and full of complexity, with an opulent aromatic register that delivers notes of sugared limes, green apple, and melon. The mouthfeel has a rich viscosity that is counterbalanced by a bracing acidity, with a powerful and persistent finish that lingers with notes of d'Anjou pear, cinnamon, and toast. This is a very elegant wine that is sure to impress.
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