2019 Vincent Girardin Corton Charlemagne Quintessence Grand Cru

The 2019 Vincent Girardin Corton-Charlemagne Quintessence Grand Cru is a powerful, mineral-driven expression of one of Burgundy’s most iconic white terroirs. Crafted from old vines in Aloxe-Corton and raised with meticulous care, this Chardonnay captures the tension between richness, precision and stony finesse. The “Quintessence” name reflects Girardin’s aim to bottle the purest, most essential character of Corton-Charlemagne in a single cuvée.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the 2019 Quintessence presents a luminous, pale gold hue with green reflections, hinting at both concentration and freshness. The nose is intense yet refined, opening with notes of lemon zest, yuzu and crisp green apple, then deepening into ripe pear, white peach and a touch of quince. Underneath the fruit lie layers of crushed chalk, wet stones and flint, with subtle accents of toasted hazelnut, fresh almond, acacia blossom and a whisper of fine French oak. On the palate, this is a structured, emphatically mineral Corton-Charlemagne: full-bodied and powerful, yet carried by a precise, linear acidity. Citrus oils, orchard fruits and delicate stone-fruit notes unfold over a firm spine of limestone-driven salinity. The mid-palate shows impressive density and texture, wrapped in a silky, almost creamy mouthfeel that never loses its tension. The oak is beautifully integrated, contributing gentle spice and brioche nuances rather than dominating. The finish is very long, focused and mouthwatering, with lingering notes of chalk dust, citrus peel and subtle smoke. This 2019 has excellent aging potential—expect it to evolve gracefully for 12–20 years, gaining more complexity, nuttiness and truffle-like depth with time in bottle.

Production
Sourced from 60-year-old Chardonnay vines in the commune of Aloxe-Corton, this Grand Cru comes from parcels with south and southwest exposure at higher elevation, rooted in hard limestone and marl. This terroir naturally delivers vibrant acidity, tension and a pronounced mineral signature. The vines are pruned in Guyot and managed with careful green work throughout the season (de-budding, canopy management, topping) to control yields and ensure optimal ripeness. Harvesting is done manually, with strict sorting in the vineyard, followed by gentle pneumatic pressing to allow for a slow, fine extraction of juice. The must is transferred into 228-liter French oak barrels, 15–20% of which are new, where both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations occur with indigenous yeasts. The wine is aged for 18 months on fine lees without bâtonnage, preserving purity and tension. About one month before bottling, the different lots are assembled in stainless steel for harmonization, then racked, lightly fined and gently filtered before being bottled according to the lunar calendar.

Food & Serving
This Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru shines with refined, richly flavored dishes that can match its intensity and structure. Think butter-poached lobster, scallops in a light cream sauce, turbot or sole with beurre blanc, roast chicken with morels, or veal in a delicate jus. It also pairs beautifully with mature Comté, aged Gruyère or a well-aged farmhouse cheddar. Serve at 10–12°C (50–54°F) to allow the aromatics and minerality to unfold without losing freshness. Young bottles benefit from 45–60 minutes in a decanter to open the nose and soften the structure; mature bottles should be handled more gently, with a brief, careful decant if sediment is present.

Producer
Maison Vincent Girardin, founded in the early 1980s in Meursault, quickly earned a reputation as a benchmark producer in the Côte de Beaune, with a particular strength in white Burgundy. Over the years, the domaine assembled and managed vineyards across some of the most celebrated appellations—Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay and Corton-Charlemagne—always with an emphasis on expressing individual terroirs. Traditional Burgundian methods, meticulous vineyard work, hand-harvesting and a sensitive, low-intervention approach in the cellar define the house style. The wines of Vincent Girardin are widely respected for their clarity, balance and age-worthiness, and the Corton-Charlemagne Quintessence sits among the flagship cuvées that showcase the estate’s prowess with top-tier Grand Cru Chardonnay.

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