Domaine Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2022

Domaine Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru is a Chardonnay from the great white grand cru of the Côte de Beaune.

High on the hill of Corton, across Aloxe-Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses and Ladoix, pale marl and limestone facing south-west to west produce the most structured, slowest-maturing white of the Côte de Beaune. The house began in Santenay and now works from Meursault, organically and biodynamically, from its own vines and long-standing growers. Wild-yeast fermentation in French barrels, few of them new, is followed by nearly eighteen months on fine lees.

Taut and full-bodied, with citrus, hazelnut and a stony, saline finish that grows with age. Serve at 11-13°C with lobster, roast chicken, veal or Comté, or cellar it for a decade or more.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.

Type: White Wine
Style: Full-bodied, Dry, Age-worthy
Grape Varietal: Chardonnay
Tastes Like: Chardonnay at its most powerful and long-lived, a benchmark grand cru white Burgundy
Alcohol Percentage: 13%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (a vineyard officially ranked in Burgundy's highest tier), AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, France's protected designation of origin, which sets where and how the wine is made)
Region: Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France
Terroir: Three plots in Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix and Pernand-Vergelesses, high on the hill of Corton on limestone and marl; vines averaging about 50 years old
Aging: Aged 18 months on fine lees in 228-litre French oak barrels, 15-20% new, without stirring of the lees
Serving Temperature: 14℃, as the producer suggests

The Girardin family have grown vines in Santenay, at the southern end of the Côte de Beaune, since the 17th century. Vincent Girardin started his own domaine there in 1980, aged 19, with 2 hectares inherited from his parents, and in the early 1990s added a négociant business, buying grapes from growers he worked with closely, so he could make wines from many more of Burgundy's great sites. In 2012 the house passed to the Compagnie des Vins d'Autrefois of Beaune, led by long-standing partner Jean-Pierre Nié, and winemaker Éric Germain, a Meursault local who joined in 2002, has run it since then from the cellar in Meursault. The vines are farmed along biodynamic principles, without herbicides or insecticides, fed with natural compost and picked by hand, and partner growers follow the same approach on their own plots.

The 2022 Corton-Charlemagne comes from the same three plots across Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix and Pernand-Vergelesses, high on the hill where the appellation's pale, limestone-rich soils face south-west to west. It is one of the most structured and slow-maturing whites of the Côte de Beaune, built to open up over many years. With a year more in bottle than the 2023, it makes a fine choice for a special dinner now, or for laying down.

Veal: Sweetbreads or veal fillet with morels and cream
Shellfish: Grilled lobster tails with herb butter
Poultry: Roast guinea fowl with a cream and white wine sauce
Mushrooms: Wild mushroom vol-au-vents

Comté (30 months): Deep, savoury and crunchy with age, a classic match for mature white Burgundy
Gruyère: Firm and nutty, it mirrors the wine's power
Brillat-Savarin (affiné): Rich and buttery, lifted by the wine's acidity
Langres: A washed-rind cheese from the Champagne-Burgundy border, gentler than it smells

Ris de Veau aux Morilles (Veal Sweetbreads with Morels and Cream)

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 600g veal sweetbreads (order from your butcher)
• 20g dried morels (or 150g fresh morels or mixed wild mushrooms)
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 40g butter
• 1 golden shallot, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Cognac or brandy
• 125mL dry white wine
• 200mL pouring cream
• Salt and white pepper
• Chopped chives

Instructions:

1. Soak the sweetbreads in cold water in the fridge for 4 hours, changing the water twice. Soak the dried morels in 250mL warm water for 30 minutes, then lift out, rinse, and strain and keep the soaking liquid.
2. Put the sweetbreads in a pan of cold salted water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Drain, cool in iced water, then peel off the membrane and break into walnut-sized pieces. Press between paper towels under a weight for 1 hour.
3. Season the sweetbreads and dust lightly with flour. Heat half the butter in a frying pan and fry over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes a side until golden. Remove and keep warm.
4. Add the remaining butter and the shallot to the pan and soften for 2 minutes. Add the morels and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add the Cognac, then the wine and 125mL of the morel liquid, and reduce by half. Stir in the cream and simmer until it coats a spoon. Season.
6. Return the sweetbreads to the sauce to warm through, scatter with chives and serve with a little buttered rice or crusty bread.

Sweetbreads with morels are a fixture of classic French cooking and of Burgundy's finest restaurants, where they are often served alongside the region's grand cru whites. The wine's concentration from 50-year-old vines matches the dish's richness, while its mineral finish keeps the cream sauce in check.