Available for our Hong Kong and Mainland China-based clients.

by Linden Wilkie and Anthony Hanson MW

Perched high up above the village is the Domaine du Cellier aux Moines in Givry, south of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or. Cellier = cellar, and Moines = monks, in this case the Cistercians who founded the Abbey of La Ferté near here in 1130. The wines of Givry are a bit less well known than some other villages, but as we all know, the monks had great taste and put their vineyards in Burgundy’s best spots!

Philippe and Catherine Pascal and their family have owned and run Domaine du Cellier aux Moines since 2004, and winemaking is led by Guillaume Marko. They make and lead a team of quite some sophistication and experience at the highest level. They’ve used no pesticides or herbicides since 2016 and are now converting to biodynamism. Grapes are hand-harvested, and carefully sorted, prior to fermentation with native yeasts, and partially including whole bunches. Wine-making, barrel-ageing and bottling take place in a state of the art gravity-fed, purpose-built winery, which is set deep into a quarry to regulate temperature and humidity with little energy.

Concerning future vintages, the 2019 Givry 1er Cru is a gorgeous wine, but quantities were not generous - and the same is true of the vintages since then - so laying down stock of 2018 and older makes good sense, as future availabilities may be limited.

2015 Domaine du Cellier aux Moines - Givry 1er Cru 'Clos du Cellier aux Moines’
Two separate Cuvées from the Clos have been assembled together. One comes from recently planted, low-yielding, very fine Pinots growing in shallow soils towards the top of the Clos. The other comes from deeper soils in the mid-part of the slope, from old vines planted in the mid-1970s. Colour is a lively, deep purple-garnet, with aromas showing pungent, ripe fruitiness, with freshness. A proportion of whole bunches was included in the fermentation, adding complexity. In the mouth, this has magnificent structure, which is well-sustained through mid-palate, culminating in supple tannins and delicious, fresh length. This is a strikingly lovely wine (for drinking up to 2025, and beyond). 

2017 Domaine du Cellier aux Moines - Givry 1er Cru 'Clos du Cellier aux Moines’
From 2016, the Domaine was converting to organic cultivation, with regular ploughing, and using only copper and sulphur as protection against disease, then in 2017 they began introducing bio-dynamism. 2017 was a year of relatively generous production of healthy grapes, and whole clusters were incorporated in the vats, from all the finest Pinot Noir plantings. The wine showed brilliant, ruby-purple colour from barrel, with open fruitiness on the nose. Palate is of medium structure and intensely fruity, with gentle tannins and soft, fresh aftertaste for immediate enjoyment.

2018 Domaine du Cellier aux Moines - Givry 1er Cru 'Clos du Cellier aux Moines’
Due to hail in late April one third of the harvest was lost this year. The grapes were rich in colour and polyphenols, so less punching down took place, as long infusions were perfect to extract the super-ripe constituents. The wine aged extra months in barrel, so that tannins could be condensed, for bottling in February 2020. This is superbly rich, with broad structure, impressive fruit concentration and splendid length.

2017 Domaine du Cellier aux Moines - Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru 'Les Pucelles’
These grapes come from gently-sloping vines which lie to the north of Grand Cru Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. They face south-east, perfectly tilted to catch warmth from the rising sun each day. Colour is bright lemon-golden, aromas honeyed, toasty, freshly mouth-watering. Palate shows generous, ample fruitiness, with balancing, vivacious aftertaste.