2005 Vincent Girardin Red Burgs

This was an upstairs, in-store tasting hosted by Daniel Haas, of Vineyard Brands, the exclusive distributor of Vincent Girardin in the U.S. We tasted through ten of Girardin's 27 red Burgs for '05. That's right, despite the fact that a number of stories in the last two years have reported that Girardin was selling his Pinot vineyards and buying white Burg vineyards (which is true), and de-emphasizing his reds in favor of his whites, in this great '05 vintage, Girardin was able to acquire fruit from 24 vineyards (in addition to the three he owns) for a whopping 27 red appellation bottlings. Dan reported that he often receives half, and sometimes one-third, of Girardin's output for the U.S. market.

Girardin moved out of Santenay to a more modern facility in Meursault, and bought and 18 year lease on Henri Clair. His wines are not as rustic, extracted or oaky as they used to be. Girardin was stuck with a million bottles of '01 in inventory when the '02s came out. He went from 20 to 40-plus whites. His Chassange reds tend to be good values.

Daniel Haas pictured in the middle

• 2005 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Santenay 1er Cru Les Gravières Vieilles Vignes 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Santenay 1er Cru

  Roasted cherry and toasty oak nose; cherry, tart red fruit, rustic and tight yet, with firm tannins; medium finish 88+ pts. (300 cases for the U.S.)($34 pre-arrival)

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• 2005 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Jean Rouge 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Black cherry and toast on nose; tart red fruit, tight, more structured, good acidity, rustic; tart medium finish 88+ pts. (100 cases for the U.S.) (new vineyard for Girardin)($37.50 pre-arrival)

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• 2005 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Serpentières 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru

  Deep berry and red fruit nose; tart cherry, red fruit, tight, but with good structure and sweet tannins; medium finish 88+ pts. (150 cases for the U.S.)($34 pre-arrival)

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• 2005 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Sappy, toasty oak; a big step up from the prior three, with good sap, a palate of cherry, red fruit and minerals; medium finish (100 cases for the U.S.)($61 pre-arrival)

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• 2005 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru

  Sappy nice strawberry, cherry and sage nose; silky entry, showing rich tart red fruit, cherry, mineral, with good structure; medium-plus finish 91+ pts. (100 cases for the U.S.)($81 pre-arrival)

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• 2005 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Corton-Perrières 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  Cherry red color; vanillin with a touch of red fruit on the nose; bright cherry and red fruit palate with sweet and tart notes; medium-plus finish ($75 pre-arrival)

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• 2005 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

  Dark cherry red color; tight, faint red fruit and spice nose; silky entry, with elegant ripe cherry, roses and spicy red fruit with good depth and minerality; medium finish (250 cases for the U.S.)($47 pre-arrival)

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• 2005 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Echezeaux 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru

  Toasty oak and cherry nose; tasty, complex palate of cherry, minerals, tar and toast; medium-plus finish 92+ pts. (100 cases for the U.S.)($145 pre-arrival)

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• 2005 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Charmes-Chambertin 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

  Dark cherry red color; subtle cherry nose; tasty, ripe cherry, toast, mineral, tar, roses and rose hips palate, very tight yet but with a lot of character; long finish 92+ pts. (200 cases for the U.S.)($145 pre-arrival)

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• 2005 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chambertin-Clos de Bèze 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

  Tight but elegant red fruit nose; tasty, solid, tart red fruit, ,cherry, spice, fine tannins; long tannic finish (50 cases for the U.S.)($290 pre-arrival)

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