Domaine Desvignes, Givry Blanc `Les Survivants`

Based in Givry, Domaine Desvignes was established in 1870 and has cellars dating back to the 17th century. Despite being the fifth generation to run his family domaine, Gautier Desvignes represents a new generation of Givry winemakers. Like many producers in the Côte Chalonnaise, Domaine Desvignes used to sell their fruits to the big négociants in the Côte d’Or. Historically, their Pinot Noir clones were selected to deliver volume over quality. Before agreeing to take over from his father, Gautier insisted the 10-hectare domaine be replanted with Pinot Fin clones, which produce low yields of small berries, resulting in concentrated, high-quality fruit. This replanting was completed by 2013, and after gaining experience in the USA, Gautier began managing the estate in 2016. Gautier has proven that by investing energy into the vineyard, avoiding chemicals and adapting vinification to best express the grape variety and site, Givry can produce precise, elegant wines rather than the ‘rustic’ and tannic style it was previously known for.

Although white grapes represent just under 20% of plantings in Givry, they are gaining popularity thanks to their quality and affordability. Gautier produces a Givry Village Blanc ‘En Chenèves’, which is fermented and aged in used 400-litre oak barrels to better integrate the wood. The result is a rounded wine defined by stone fruit character and lively acidity (a hallmark of the region's limestone soils).

Due to frost, Gauthier could not produce his Village Blanc or 1er Cru ‘Les Grandes Vignes’ in 2021. Instead, he produced a unique wine called ‘Les Survivants’, a blend of the grapes from the En Chenèves’ and 1er Cru ‘Les Grandes Vignes’ plots that survived this devastating frost. The resulting wine has lovely concentration and Gauthier’s signature precision.

Domaine Desvignes’ Givry Rouge comprises a selection of parcels, each vinified separately in old barrels for 12 months before being blended and aged for an additional four months in tank. The resulting wine has a nose typical of Givry with ripe, dark fruit aromas, while the palate shows good concentration and a vibrant finish. Gauthier’s 1er Cru ‘Clos Charlé’ is from a parcel towards the north of Givry planted on soils rich in iron oxide, ideally suited to Pinot Noir. It produces very expressive wines with great depth of flavour.

New to the list, the ‘Champ La Dame’ is 100% destemmed and aged for 12 months in oak, offering a seriously smart Givry with great freshness and crunchy fruit character. The 1er Cru ‘Les Ozymandias’ is Gautier’s ode to his daughter and takes its name from a Percy Bysshe Shelley poem. It blends fruit from two small Permier Cru plots (Le Vernoy and Crémillons) and has the linear precision that runs through all of the Domaine Desvignes wines.