Minimal intervention
Grapes are bought from growers who follow a set code of practice, which includes higher trellising for better photosynthesis and avoiding herbicides and insecticides. In the cellar, the grapes undergo slow fermentations with native yeasts, followed by long ageing on fine lees. Vincent Girardin uses little new oak, letting the terroir express itself. Cellar work follows the phases of the moon.
The estate began in 1980, when 19-year-old Vincent Girardin, from an old Santenay winemaking family, made his first wines from 2 hectares (5 acres) of vines inherited from his parents. As demand took off, he built supply relationships with growers who shared his approach, a practice that was new in Burgundy.
Vincent Girardin sold the business in 2012, but Éric Germain, winemaker since the early 2000s, stayed on to ensure continuity.
