Domaine Desvignes

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.

“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

WHITES

2023 Givry blanc
This wine comes from 1.2 ha in the vineyard Champ Pourot which is situated south of the town of Givry close to the family winery and house in Poncey where the soil is more white marl and the limestone more prominent. Vine here have an average of 30 years with a mixture of younger and older vines. 100% Whole bunch pressed and fermented with indigenous yeast. Alchoholic and malotactic fermentation are done in 400 litre Chassin barrels around 4-5 years old then blended in tank and aged on fine lees in for 3-4 months. Approximately 4000 bottles produced most years.
Silt and rocky soil, not good for reds. Pale. Very stony and chalky, mossy, herbal nose. Fantastic palate, really driven & chalky. Wet stone, pear, has grip and length. VV good. ✅

REDS

2023 Givry rouge Champ la Dame
'Champ La Dame' is a lieu-dit located to the southwest of Givry near the small hamlet of Poncey. Domaine Desvignes work with a 1.7-hectare parcel here with Pinot Noir vines up to 30 years of age planted on clay-limestone soils. The vineyards are farmed sustainably following 'lutte raisonnée' principles and all of the grapes are harvested by hand.
Deep blackcurrant colour. Lively nose, very concentrated cherry, mineral & direct. A little sauvage. Palate excellent limestone, definition & freshness. Pure, clean blackberry wild hedgerow. Tannic, spiny length. ✅

2023 Givry rouge 1er cru Ozymandias
The 'Cuvée Ozymandias' is a blend of two of Givry's 1er Cru parcels: 'Le Vernoy' and 'Crémillons' - both located to the southwest of the village around the small hamlet of Poncey. Gautier works with small parcels of relatively young Pinot Noir vines here (aged between 7 to 11 years old) planted on clay-limestone soils. The vineyards are farmed sustainably following 'lutte raisonnée' principles and all of the grapes are harvested by hand. 2022 was the inaugural vintage of this cuvée, named after a Percy Bysshe Shelley poem, Gautier has dedicated the wine to his daughter, born in 2022.
Black cherry, woodsy, creamier edged aromatics. Fresh, very impressive. Palate silkier & fleshier. Prickly ripe fruit, sour plum & violet. Nice tannic freshness, very long. ✅

2023 Givry rouge 1er cru La Grande Berge
This is the “home” vineyard of the estate at the back of the winery and family home in the village of Poncey totalling 1.9 ha for the family holding. The soil above the mother rock is more meagre here and the site gives ripe more solar wines. Average age of vines around 30 years old and about 8000 bottles produced in a good vintage.
Again quite sumptuous creamy edged aromas with prickly, hedgerow herbal notes. Good definition of chalky, limestone mineral. A little meatier, saucisson notes. Has more volume on palate, but with lovely chalky mineral bite. Energy and length ✅✅

2020 review as 2023 not yet reviewed. The 2020 Givry 1er Cru La Grande Berge unwinds in the glass with aromas of rich berries, loamy soil, licorice, spices and forest floor. Medium to full-bodied, ample and layered, it's one of the tauter, more structured wines in the range, concluding with a mineral finish. This will merit at least a little patience. 92+ points, William Kelley, The Wine Advocate, August 2022

2023 Givry rouge 1er cru Clos du Vernoy (Monopole)
This tiny 0.7 ha 1er cru vineyard is a Monopole which adjoins 1er cru La Grand Berge and has a south-easterly exposition enabling ideal exposure and ripeness. This vineyard is owned 100% by the Desvignes family as a Monopole and the family also owns most of the adjoining Le Vernoy vineyard. Vines here were planted by the granfather of Gautier in 1961 + 1962. This is the standout wine of the red wines produced here and this wine 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 ✅✅

2020 review as 2023 not yet reviewed. 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