DOMAINE JUSTIN GIRARDIN, France
Domaine Justin Girardin is very much a family affair, with a winemaking heritage that stretches back to the beginning of the 19th Century. Jacques (brother of Vincent) handed over the running of the 17ha family domaine to his son Justin in 2012. Whilst not being officially certified, Justin uses many organic techniques, as he is passionate about producing wines that express terroir. The results are superbly perfumed, multi-layered wines.
Viticulture
The aim is for each parcel of land to produce a different wine with its own identity; the winemaker thus becomes the guardian of diversity. Justin is careful to ensure the well-being of his vines and only intervenes when necessary to maintain the vineyard in the logic of a healthy agriculture that is always more respectful of the environment. Man does not only work a wine, but an alchemy between the earth, the sky and the plant. They follow the moon calendar in the respect for their ancestors using methods everyone call "biodynamics" today. Only some operation like the ploughing or the watering of young plants are mechanised, the rest is strictly manual.
Winemaking
The winery embraces a modern approach to winemaking, with both techniques and processes aimed at allowing the grape and its terroir to fully express themselves. Cold maceration is used initially to develop primary, fruit-driven aromas, followed by spontaneous alcoholic fermentation triggered by the natural yeasts present on the grape skins. Exogenous yeasts are avoided, as they can alter the wine’s aromatic profile and obscure the true character of the terroir. Extraction is handled gently, with pumping over replacing traditional treading in recent years. The wines are aged on fine lees in French oak barrels—ranging from 12 months for generic wines to up to 24 months for Grand Crus—with new oak used in moderation (15% to 50%), complemented by one- or two-year-old barrels. Depending on the wine's clarity, a light filtration may be applied before bottling, which is carefully timed to coincide with a favorable lunar phase—specifically, a fruit day during the descending moon.
