THE DOMAINE
Domaine Justin Girardin is a 17 hectare family domaine in Santenay. 13 of those 17 hectares are in Santenay itself, with the remainder further north, including in Pommard.
The Girardin family traces its Burgundian wine roots back to 1570 but it wasn’t until the end of the Second World War that they began to specialise in winemaking. During the 1950s and 1960s, Jean Girardin acquired various parcels across some of Santenay’s best terroirs. His efforts were then continued by the next generation of winegrowers who expanded their holdings into Chassange-Montrachet, Pommard and Savigny-lès-Beaune.
Today, the Domaine is run by the 13th generation, Justin. He returned to the estate in 2010, where he first worked alongside his parents, Valérie and Jacques, who had previously bought the Domaine from his uncle, Vincent Girardin. After building on his experience and savoir-faire amongst the vines and in the cellar, the Domaine has been in Justin’s hands since 2015.
We have worked with Justin since the release of his first solo vintage in 2017.
VINTAGE
THE 2022 VINTAGE In the words of Justin Girardin “The difficult thing in 2022 was to find difficulties…”
A harvest that was full of mystery and suspense, up until the last moment.
Mild weather set in from March, and even though a few mornings at the beginning of April were close to freezing, the vines and vegetation began to grow from mid-April. The temperatures continued to rise and remained well above seasonal norms, but rainfall also increased over the coming months.
The summer saw a succession of heat peaks, interspersed with the odd storm. This slowed down the development of véraison in the grapes and by mid-August, the lack of rain made it difficult to predict either the quantity or quality of the harvest.
However, sometimes nature has some good surprises in store...The week beginning 15th August brought with it some much-needed rain which restarted the ripening process and resulted in very healthy bunches.
Despite the unique and exceptional weather conditions, 2022 developed into a generous and high quality vintage at Domaine Justin Girardin, without damage from excess heat. The grapes maintained beautiful freshness, great acidity and high juice content, producing structured and intensely aromatic reds along with fresh and fragrant whites.
THE WINES
Of the three premier cru Santenays, Clos Rousseau has the greatest ageing potential and substance, whilst Beauregard is approachable in youth and Maladière sitting somewhere in between. All the wines are made using 100% destemmed grapes, achieving a silkier mouthfeel.
In 2022, winemaking included around a week of pre-fermentation cold soak to extract aroma, with three pump-overs at the beginning of vinification and four days of post-fermentation maceration at 27°C. After this, the wines had one year of lees contact in barrel, with no racking until bottling, which took place in mid-November 2023, the month after our visit. Alcohol levels averaged 13-13.5% abv in 2022.
BOURGOGNE CHARDONNAY
Justin Girardin’s Bourgogne Chardonnay is a blend of sites throughout the Côte de Beaune, the Mâconnais and Chablis. Ripe white peach fruit, with a touch of green melon and a pliant juicy mid-palate. This finishes with a clipped phenolic grip and a nice crunch. Vinified half in old oak and half in stainless steel tank, with 11 months’ ageing. 15,000 bottles were made.
Corney & Barrow Score 16.5
Recommended drinking from 2024–2026
SANTENAY 1ER CRU MALADIÈRE
The name Maladière comes from the nearby Maladière of Chagny hospital. This is a sunny, warm site. It is a southeast-facing vineyard, with deeper soils, located in the centre of the appellation. Justin has 0.7 hectares here and the vines average 60-years-old. Sweet red and black cherry fruit aromas. The palate is pliant and succulent, with an additional layer of sucrosity. 25% new oak.13% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5+
Recommended drinking from 2026–2032
SANTENAY 1ER CRU CLOS ROUSSEAU
Clos Rousseau has deep, heavy clay soils. Justin’s vines here have correspondingly deep root networks, allowing them to retain more water and conferring an age-worthiness on the resulting wines. The domaine has almost one hectare here, over four parcels, the youngest of which was planted in 2015, the others being 45, 60 and 65 years old. A ripe and effusive nose of raspberry fruit peppered with fine chalky minerality. The sucrose-laden palate has notes of kirsch and Morello cherries, balanced by great freshness. 25% new oak. 13% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 18
Recommended drinking from 2027–2033+
SANTENAY 1ER CRU BEAUREGARD
Beauregard, with its distinctive windmill and stunning views towards Chassagne-Montrachet, is the highest of the domaine’s Santenay holdings, around 50 metres above the others. The vines are 30-70 years-old. The soils here are the poorest of the three premier cru sites yet this tends to be the most approachable in its youth. Bright wild strawberry fruit and raspberry, framed by fine grippy tannins with fresh acidity. Approachable and upbeat. 25% new oak used in 2022. 13% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5
Recommended drinking from 2024–2031
POMMARD LES VIGNOTS
The domaine’s Pommard is now made from just the two best plots, in Les Vignots. Around half a hectare in size, this is the highest elevation site of the estate. The average vine age is 35-40 years old. Dark cherry fruit, crunchy and precise on the palate, with ferrous minerality and clipped acidity. This is more precise on the palate than the sweetly-fruited nose suggests. A wine of definition and poise, vinified with 25% new oak.15 barrels were made in 2022.
Corney & Barrow Score 18
Recommended drinking from 2026–2032