Domaine Giraudon Bourgogne Chitry Blanc

Description

Domaine Giraudon Bourgogne Chitry Blanc is a white Burgundy, 100% Chardonnay, from Chitry in the north-east of Burgundy.

Domaine Giraudon is owned and run by brother and sister Aurelie and Thibaud Giraudon, who are the estate’s winemaker and vineyard manager respectively. The estate was founded by their grandfather some 80 years ago and was a mix of mix of wine, cereals, cherries and cattle. He also planted a vineyard in nearby Chablis. It was his son Marcel who expanded the wine-growing side of the business.

The estate is based in the small village of Chitry-Le-Fort. This charming medieval village is notable for its fortified tower, the church of Saint-Valérien and is located some 13km to the southeast of Auxerre, on the right bank of the Yonne river. Chitry is one of four viticultural communes of the Auxerrois and wines are labeled as Bourgogne or Bourgogne Chitry, an appellation created for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in 1993. With continued global warming, the wines of Chitry in northern Burgundy have gained consistency in recent years and demand for wine from the region is growing. It is a region to watch out for.

The family have 25 hectares of vineyards planted on hillsides of Kimmeridgian chalky marl (similar to the soils in neighbouring Chablis). They have seven hectares of Aligote, seven hectares of Chitry Blanc (Chardonnay), seven hectares of Chitry Rrouge (Pinot Noir) and three and a half hectares planted in Chablis. The yields in the vineyard are kept low and harvesting is done manually. The winery uses exclusively stainless steel for ageing (they are possibly the only producer in Chitry that does not use any barrels) and only natural yeasts are used. Parcels of vines are vinified separately and blended to produce the final wines.

The 100% Chardonnay grapes for the Domaine Giraudon Bourgogne Chitry Blanc are hand harvested. The grapes are planted on five slope situated on soils of limestone and white clay.