Domaine Desvignes - Givry

The young Gautier Desvignes continues his rapid ascent at this 11-hectare Givry estate, and his 2020 portfolio is a strong follow-up to his lovely set of 2019s. In the vineyards, he's moving away from chemical products, cultivating the soil and using manure instead of synthetic fertilizers. In the cellar, he's refining his barrel program, working with barrels from above all Rousseau, as well as Taransaud and Rémond, complemented by used Chassin barrels. Maturation has been extended, and bottling is, since 2019, carried out by a superior contractor, with wines that require it now seeing crossflow filtration rather than more aggressive alternatives. New glass bottles and denser corks complete the picture. Elegant, sumptuous reds and bright, chiseled whites are the order of the day, and everything reviewed here comes warmly recommended. As Desvignes refines his barrel program (I suspect that even lighter toasts would deliver even more interesting results) and his vineyard work improves year on year, I am confident that he will emerge as one of the leading lights of the Côte Chalonnaise.

"Desvignes's 2020 Givry Rouge delivers inviting aromas of dark berries, cloves and exotic spices, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated palate framed by powdery tannins and succulent acids. It's a touch deeper pitched and more brooding in style than its 2019 counterpart." - 90 points, Robert Parker's Wine Advocate