Domaine Desvignes Givry 1er Cru Clos du Vernoy 2023 Monopole

Variety: Pinot Noir
Country Region: France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise
Appellation: Givry Premier Cru

This tiny 0.7 ha 1er cru vineyard is the ‘home’ vineyard of the estate, located just at the rear of the winery and family home in Poncey. It is a Monopole holding (owned 100 %), and the family also owns most of the adjoining Le Vernoy vineyard. The vines were planted by Gautier’s grandfather in 1961 and 1962 and enjoy a south-easterly exposition enabling ideal exposure and ripeness. This is the standout wine of the red wines produced here and it includes some whole bunches layered in the tank to help extend the ferment when pigeage is done. The wine spends 6 months in tank after all barrels are assembled following 12 months aging in barrel (no more than 20% new, using a mixture of cooperages including Remond, Rousseau and Taransaud).

Finer aromatics. Again smoky, bacony and woodsy, fruit less herbal, very pure blackcurrant & cherry. Sumptuous, very mouthfilling and by far the most complete wine. Outstanding. Long.

Review for the 2020 vintage (no reviews yet for 2023):
'The 2020 Givry 1er Cru Le Clos du Vernoy Monopole is charming and demonstrative, wafting from the glass with aromas of raspberries, cherries and plums mingled with licorice and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, ample and layered, with a generous core of fruit and a giving, supple profile, it concludes with a precise, penetrating finish.'
93 points, William Kelley, The Wine Advocate, August 2022.

‘The young Gautier Desvignes continues his rapid ascent at this 11-hectare Givry estate, and his 2020 portfolio is a strong follow-up to his lovely set of 2019s. In the vineyards, he's moving away from chemical products, cultivating the soil and using manure instead of synthetic fertilizers. In the cellar, he's refining his barrel program, working with barrels from above all Rousseau, as well as Taransaud and Rémond, complemented by used Chassin barrels. Maturation has been extended, and bottling is, since 2019, carried out by a superior contractor, with wines that require it now seeing crossflow filtration rather than more aggressive alternatives. New glass bottles and denser corks complete the picture. Elegant, sumptuous reds and bright, chiseled whites are the order of the day, and everything reviewed here comes warmly recommended. As Desvignes refines his barrel program (I suspect that even lighter toasts would deliver even more interesting results) and his vineyard work improves year on year, I am confident that he will emerge as one of the leading lights of the Côte Chalonnaise.’
William Kelley, The Wine Advocate, August 2022.

Based in Givry, Domaine Desvignes was established in 1870 and has cellars dating back to the 17th century. Gautier Desvignes is the fifth generation of his family to run the domaine, having taken over in 2016. He represents a new generation of winemakers in Burgundy who have honed their craft in other regions and countries, bringing new ideas to their family domaines. Having previously worked in Oregon, Gautier is now establishing Domaine Desvignes as one of the leading producers in Givry.

Like many producers in the Côte Chalonnaise, Domaine Desvignes used to sell their fruit to big négociants in the Côte d’Or. Historically, their Pinot Noir clones were selected for quantity over quality. Before agreeing to take over from his father, Gautier insisted that the domaine be replanted with Pinot Fin clones, which produce lower yields of small berries, resulting in concentrated, high-quality fruit. Sustainability is also a key part of Gautier’s philosophy. He has proven that by investing energy into the vineyard, avoiding chemicals and adapting vinification to best express the grape variety and site, Givry can produce precise, elegant wines rather than the ‘rustic’ and tannic style it was previously known for.

Although white wines represent just under 20% of Givry’s production, they are gaining popularity thanks to their quality and affordability. Gautier produces a Givry Village Blanc ‘En Chenèves’, which is fermented and aged in used 400-litre barrels to better integrate the oak. The result is a rounded wine defined by stone fruit character and lively acidity (a hallmark of the clay-limestone soils to the south of the Givry appellation).

Gauthier’s Givry Rouge comprises a selection of parcels from across the village, each vinified separately in used oak barrels for 12 months before being blended and aged for an additional four months in tank. The resulting wine has a nose typical of Givry with ripe, dark fruit aromas, while the palate shows good concentration and a vibrant finish. Gauthier’s 1er Cru ‘Clos Charlé’ is from a parcel towards the north of Givry planted on soils rich in iron oxide, ideally suited to Pinot Noir. It produces very expressive wines with great depth of flavour. The ‘Champ La Dame’ is 100% destemmed and aged for 12 months in oak, offering a seriously smart Givry with great freshness and crunchy fruit character. The 1er Cru ‘Les Ozymandias’ is Gautier’s ode to his daughter, born in 2022, and takes its name from a Percy Bysshe Shelley poem. It blends fruit from two small 1er Cru plots (‘Le Vernoy’ and ‘Crémillons’) and has the linear precision that runs through all the Domaine Desvignes wines.