Jacques Girardin Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Les Peuillets 2015

A recent visit to Burgundy confirmed just how special the 2015 vintage was in the region. The exceptional 2015 vintage in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or has yielded nothing less than a surfeit of the finest young Burgundies we have ever tasted. Although Jacques Girardin consistently fashions authentic, elegant red Burgundies, Girardin’s 2015 Savigny-les-Beaune Premier Cru Les Peuillets stands in a class by itself. It is not only the finest wine we have ever tasted from this erudite producer, it is downright delicious. Elegant and silky smooth, yet juicy and vibrant, Jacques Girardin’s 2015 Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Les Peuillets positively sings from the glass. An enticing bouquet of raspberry, blackcurrant, red plums and rose petals seduces the nose. Medium-bodied but rich in color and flavor, Jacques Girardin’s 2015 Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Les Peuillets is both subtly complex and immediately gratifying. This is the richest of Girardin’s fine red Burgundies with a memorable array of savory Pinot Noir flavors and a long sensual finish, yet it remains supremely elegant and perfectly balanced from the first sip until the very last. For optimal enjoyment we suggest affording Jacques Girardin’s drop dead gorgeous 2015 Savigny-les-Beaune Les Peuillets 20-30 minutes of aeration prior to serving at cool room temperature (60° F). Enjoy!

Jacques Girardin’s 2015 Savigny-les-Beaune Premier Cru Les Peuillets provides the ideal companion to almost any carefully prepared meal. Of course, Burgundian classics, such as Coq au Vin or Burgundy’s famed Suprême de Volaille made with Bresse chicken, immediately spring to mind. Yet, almost any poultry dish prepared with a light cream sauce, mushrooms or stuffing will pair beautifully with Jacques Girardin’s classic 2015 Savigny-les-Beaune Les Peuillets. Another satisfying companion is Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin. The succulent tenderness of the pork wonderfully complements the elegant, savory flavors of Girardin’s seductive 2015 Premier Cru Les Peuillets. A key to preparation is to let the cooked tenderloin rest so juices redistribute evenly throughout the meat. Serve the pork with sides of roasted shallot mashed potatoes and haricots verts. If you wish to add a sauce to your pork, try a dried cherry sauce that softly complements the wine’s center. A grilled filet mignon with portabella mushrooms provides yet another fine accompaniment. Offer a dense, flavorful loaf of bread, serve a soft aromatic aged cheese, and place an old-fashioned mustard pot as a centerpiece, and, voilà, you’re ready for your guests to arrive for a veritable feast. Bon Appétit!

Long-time members of The International Wine of the Month Club can attest to the consistent quality of Jacques Girardin’s elegant, beautifully wrought red and white Burgundies, especially Girardin’s Premier Cru offerings, which express the very essences of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Burgundy’s famed Côte d’Or. However, nothing quite prepared our tasting panel for Jacques Girardin’s 2015 Savigny-les-Beaune Premier Cru Les Peuillets, the finest wine to emanate from this enviable domain and this month’s feature.

Domaine Jacques Girardin is the archetypal Burgundy grower and producer, which means winemaking is a true family affair. Everyone in the family is involved. Jacques, his father Jean, and his brother Vincent are all well-known winemakers, and Jacques’ son Justin now works alongside his father. At Domaine Jacques Girardin, Jacques tends the vineyards, works the cellar, and makes the wines with son Justin while Jacques’ wife Valerie keeps the books, handles all the sales, and sees to the mounting pile of export regulations that make it increasingly difficult for small family owned wineries to export their wares. For generations, the Girardin family has been well represented among the finest names in Burgundy. Jacques has been producing fine estate bottled offerings at his domaine since 1978, but most importantly no one consistently offers better quality and value in white and red Burgundy in Santenay and Savigny-les-Beaune than Jacques Girardin.

Domaine Jacques Girardin lies in the south of Burgundy in the commune of Santenay, the most southerly area of the fabled Côte d’Or. It comprises 17 hectares. From this hallowed ground, the domaine produces a range of exceptional red and white wines, featuring Premier Cru sites in Santenay, Savigny-les-Beaune and Chassagne-Montrachet and an exceptional Vieilles Vignes (Old Vines) Bourgogne Pinot Noir. Domaine Jacques Girardin’s red wine Premier Cru sites include Beauregard, La Maladière, and the much heralded Clos Rousseau vineyard in Santenay and his finest Les Peuillets in Savigny-les-Beaune (this month’s feature). Jacques Girardin also fashions tiny quantities of excellent Santenay Blanc Les Terrasses de Bievaux and Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot. All of Girardin’s wines spend time in barriques, of which 20-30% of the barrels are new. The result is supple, beautifully wrought red and white Burgundies that drink extremely well from the moment they are poured. Santé!

Burgundy is a wine as well as a place. In fact, it is many wines and many distinct locales, all of which were once part of the ancient duchy of Burgundy. Situated several hundred kilometers southwest of Paris, Burgundy is hallowed ground to serious lovers of the vine. From its golden hillsides, whose center slopes are so aptly named the Côte d’Or, flow France’s most expensive and profound wines. Names such as Romanée Conti, Chambertin, Clos de Vougeot, and Le Montrachet, among others, have been delighting serious wine aficionados for centuries. Yet, there is much more to Burgundy and its wines than a few illustrious names. For starters, Burgundy is the ancestral of home of two of the world’s most revered grape varieties – Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. With a few rare exceptions, the finest Burgundies emanate from the region’s core, the Côte d’Or, which begins on the fabled Côte de Nuits, just to the south of Dijon, and flows south to Santenay at the tip of the Côte de Beaune. The Premier and Grand Cru wines from these illustrious hillsides are consistently Burgundy’s stars and are worth their weight in gold. Salut!