Domaine Jacques Girardin sits at the fiery southern tip of the Côte de Beaune, where Santenay’s iron-rich slopes deliver Pinot Noir with backbone and soul. A family affair since the 1500s but domaine-bottling only since ’78, Jacques and Valérie—now with son Justin—farm 17 hectares sustainably across Santenay 1ers, Savigny, and Chassagne, coaxing old vines through gentle extraction and precise oak. Clos Rousseau is their crown jewel: a rare 1er Cru monopole-like parcel on the Santenay-Maranges edge, where 45-year-old vines dig into limestone-marl for wines that marry Santenay’s rustic chew with unexpected finesse.

The 2022 Clos Rousseau arrives in one of the Côte de Beaune’s most forgiving modern vintages—ripe fruit, sleek tannins, no green edges. Southeast-facing at mid-slope, it yields black cherry, rose, clove, and ferrous earth over vibrant acidity and fine-grained structure, all from destemmed berries, native ferments, and 15 months in barrel (just 20% new). This isn’t Santenay’s brooding brute; it’s layered, perfumed, and built to evolve—proof that the south can sing with the north when the hands are right.

Why you'll love it

• Ripe 2022 Santenay from 45-year-old vines: black cherry, spice, iron snap with silky tannins and no rusticity.

• Benchmark southern Côte de Beaune 1er at half the Meursault price—elegant depth that overdelivers every time.

• Ageworthy structure meets instant charm: generous fruit now, serious terroir for 10+ years.

How to serve it

• Cool it to 55–58°F in a Burgundy stem—let the perfume and mid-palate bloom without chilling the soul.

• Decant young bottles or give 45 minutes in glass; older ones pop and pour.

• Grilled lamb chops, wild mushrooms, or aged Comté make it soar—its ferrous edge craves earth and smoke.