Auxey-Duresses Blanc 'Vieilles Vignes', Vincent Girardin 2021

Vincent Girardin exists today as one of the smaller Burgundy negociant houses, owning 13 hectares of prime vineyards with contracts to buy high-quality fruit from another 85 hectares, over many of which they have direct control. The result is an impressive range of very well made wines from a number of Burgundy's best appellations. The small village of Auxey-Duresses, nearly up in the Hautes Cotes, is well off the beaten track even by Burgundian standards, and makes more than twice as much red as white, so this is something of a curiosity. It's also a very fine example of (almost) Cote-de-Beaune Chardonnay, with a combination of the exceptional ripeness, texture and very fine minerality that you'd expect to find in its more illustrious neighbours Meursault and Puligny just down the hill.

 Chardonnay

 Burgundy, France

 13% ABV