Description
Notes from Le Grappin winemaker Andrew Nielsen:
2022 Savigny les Beaune Blanc
Vineyard
From two parcels of Chardonnay above the village of Savigny-lès-Beaune; “Dessus Les Vermots” and “Les Gollardes”, all on a steep slope facing south west with poor, white soils from millenia of erosion and cooled by the air coming down the valley from the Haute-Côtes. All of these attributes, and a lovely Summer, lead to a wine that is ripe and generous in weight while still retaining a core of minerality and drive.
Vinification
Hand picked, foot crushed in cases and then again in our 90 year old basket press. Pressed over 6 hours without additions of SO2 or enzymes. The juice was oxidised in tank for 24 hours and racked to two 400L barrels with light solids for a fermentation by indigenous yeasts. Aged on full lies , without stirring or racking, for 9 months with a month in tank on light lies for focus and freshness. Unfined, lightly filtered, bottled under DIAM 10.
Tasting note
Grapefruit, pineapple, pear, and white flowers on the nose. The palate is lush, with the signature goût de silex of Savigny-lès-Beaune Blancs, which shows here as a certain weighty/round (but not oily) mouthfeel. Sweet fruits on the palate with a suggestion of anise. There is the customary drive of acidity which balances the weighty texture that finishes in a grippy and zippy note that cleans up the palate and makes you want to take another glass!
“My vision for Le Grappin is to seek out special sites in the over-looked, under-appreciated reaches of Burgundy, that tell a story. I search out viticulteurs as maniacal as me, who tend their vines throughout the year, who know their sites and how best to make the site shine. My job is to ensure the wine reaches it’s true potential, working by hand, with small lots, giving each wine as much care and attention as my viticulteurs have paid to the vines. I believe one finds a sense of detail, purity, and focus in my wines as a result. I hope you enjoy the stories my wines have to tell.” – Andrew Nielsen, Le Grappin
About Le Grappin
Le Grappin make authentic wines from under-appreciated parcels in Burgundy and Beaujolais. They source fruit from the same single parcels of organically farmed vines each year. From their winery, in the Hautes Côtes de Beaune, they combine modern winemaking with traditional methods, eschewing additives and interventions.
The Nielsen’s started Le Grappin in 2011 following Andrew’s five-year journey working for some of the world’s great Pinot Noir and Chardonnay artisans in California, Central Otago, Burgundy, and the Yarra Valley and studying wine science. Emma joined in 2015 bringing her experience of marketing, events, and project management.
Their fruit is from vineyards farmed organically, working with the same growers each year, with some partnerships now lasting for more than 10 years. Fermentation is done with no additions, using strict sorting and hygiene to combat wine defaults, and serious vineyard work to avoid the need for sugar, acid or nutrient additions.
Whites are whole bunch pressed in hydraulic basket presses and fermented in a range of formats depending on the fruit – old oak barrels, concrete egg, wooden foudres and glass. Reds are fermented whole cluster in wood or concrete large tanks with ageing taking place in large-format old oak barrels, for up to two years depending on the vintage and the wine’s development.
Their Le Grappin labels showcase fine wines from the Côte de Beaune and Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, and Du Grappin, the more relaxed and restaurant-focused wines from Beaujolais, Mâconnais and Vézelay.
