Domaine Vincent Girardin le Saint-Jean Blanc, Santenay, France

喬丹酒莊圣-讓?zhuān)ㄉＬ啬未澹┌灼咸丫?

點(diǎn)擊次數(shù)：647

Girardin's Santenay Le St. Jean has a fresh and lively nose. It is a silky-textured, light-to-medium-bodied, ripe, well-structured and white pepper and mineral-infused wine. It will be at its best between now and 2001. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Birmingham, AL; tel (205) 980-8802. Note: Vincent Girardin sells wines under the Baron de la Charriere label to European Cellars (Eric Solomon, tel (212) 924-4949). The wines marked with an asterisk (*) indicate that the same vineyard designation can be found through European Cellars, but the wine may not be the same as those listed here as Eric Solomon selects his barrels.

Girardin is one of the few believers in white Santenays, having noticed that the strip of terroir possessing 1er Cru vineyards of neighboring Chassagne Montrachet continues through his commune. While others are planting Pinot Noir, Vincent pushes forward with Chardonnay. Revealing stony and rocky aromas, the Santenay Le St. Jean exhibits a silky texture in addition to flavors of freshly ground white pepper, minerals, and toast. This is a refreshing wine made for near term drinking. This note is the result of tastings I did in Burgundy between January 7 and January 29. Importer: Vineyard Brands, Chester, VT; tel (802) 875-2139. Note: Vincent Girardin sells wines under the Baron de la Charriere label to European Cellars (Eric Solomon, tel (212) 924-4949).

The 1994 white wines are consistently brilliant, especially the 1994 Santenay Le St.-Jean, a rare white Santenay that reveals spicy oak, buttery, cherry fruit, admirable finesse, a soft, plump palate, and a lusty finish. What is noticeable in all of Girardin's 1994s is a nice chewy texture. Burgundy is frightfully expensive, and often disappointing, not only on a qualitative level, but in terms of the price/quality relationship. How rare it is to taste a group of Burgundies and find them to be delicious, satisfying, and, for Burgundy, reasonably priced. Vincent Girardin appears to be making the finest wines of his career, turning out full blown, smoky, oaky whites, and gorgeously seductive, round, generous red wines that are modestly priced, especially when one considers the prices now fetched by the top single vineyard/reserve Pinot Noirs from California and Oregon. I was very impressed with not only Girardin's 1994 whites, but also his 1994 reds, the first vintage he has bottled without any fining or filtration - an important factor as the style of the 1994 vintage (elegance and lightness) strongly suggests such wines cannot endure much SO2, or aroma and flavor eviscerating fining and filtration. Vineyard Brands, Inc., Chester, VT; tel. (802) 875-2139; fax (802) 875-3566