Discovering the Mâconnais (11) Domaine Eric et Catherine Giroud
Website: https://www.domainegiroud.fr/
I met with Eric and Catherine on a lovely July day in one of their vineyards, along with Mansour, a family friend of theirs. We had a view with Mont Blanc in the background, and Uchizy village with its bell tower.
They have 17 hectares of vines in three communes: Uchizy, Chardonnay and Plottes. They farm without herbicides, and until 2000 they were supplying the cooperative, but for the last 25 years they have been making estate-only wines from their holdings.
Eric isn’t from round here, but came to study at the agricultural college, where he met Catherine. They were studying to be farmers, and didn’t study anything to do with viticulture and enology.
When he was 17 he worked for a cooperative in Beaujolais, which had 35 cows. His main job was milking the cows. They got him working in the vines, but he didn’t think that this was a job for him. Later he changed his mind, when he met Catherine.
Catherine’s parents were the ones with vines. They had 50 hectares of cereals and 2.5 hectares of vines. They have slowly grown this vineyard holding by planting, purchasing and renting, to get the current level of 17 hectares.
Soils are, as you’d expect, clay/limestone (argile/calcaire). The limestone content in the clay makes it less heavy, they explain, giving more mineral and floral characters.
THE WINES
Domaine Giroud Mâcon Villages La Garde 2023 Bourgogne, France
Lively, bright and fresh with a vivid citrus character. Juicy, linear and full with nice precision. 90/100
Domaine Giroud Mâcon Villages Trois Terroirs 2023 Bourgogne, France
This is from their three terroirs and it’s a nice wine. Stony, mineral nose. This has taut textural, lemony fruit with nice mineral hints and some fine spices. 91/100
Domaine Giroud Mâcon Uchizy Vieilles Vignes 2023 Bourgogne, France
Fine nose is quite delicate with focused citrus fruit. Taut and mineral on the palate with nice brightness and some fine-grained chalky texture, finishing mineral. 92/100
Domaine Giroud Mâcon Chardonnay 2023 Bourgogne, France
Younger vines. Lovely aromatics: chalky, limey and fine. Generous pear and citrus fruit with fine spicy notes on the palate. This has lovely delicacy with some richness and also some fine mineral notes. 93/100
Domaine Giroud Mâcon Uchizy Le Moulin de L’Ouevre 2023 Bourgogne, France
Fresh and quite delicate with a slight saline edge to the sweet pear and citrus fruit. Nice tension here with a mineral streak to the fruit. Stony, mineral and focused. 91/100
Domaine Giroud Mâcon Chardonnay Les Jandières 2022 Bourgogne, France
Rich, nutty, appley and spicy with a mealy edge to the fruit. Very stony on the finish, with lovely pear and white peach fruit. Has a nice long finish. 90/100
Domaine Giroud Mâcon Chardonnay ‘Chardonnay de Chardonnay’ 2022 Bourgogne, France
This is from white marl soil. Lively, mineral and taut with nice finesse. Chalky and fine with a grainy, slightly chalky structure. Haas nice tension and intensity. 92/100
Domaine Giroud Mâcon Uchizy Vieilles Vignes 2022 Bourgogne, France
Subtle nutty hints with nice texture, and some spice and mineral characters under the citrus fruit. Has a slight saltiness with fine apple and nut hints and a stony, mineral finish. 92/100
Domaine Giroud Mâcon Chardonnay Les Crêts 2022 Bourgogne, France
This is a very old parcel. Really expressive with a nice depth of pear, peach and citrus fruit with good definition and mineral depth. Shows fine spices on the finish. 93/100
THE MÂCONNAIS
