From: Cote Chalonnaise, Burgundy, France
Varietal: Pinot Noir
"François, how do you do it!? Dedicated to the Givry appellation, François Lumpp elevates each wine to a level rarely seen in this southern part of Burgundy. François is quick to point out that Givry shares the same soils as the Côte de Beaune, and indeed, just a taste reveals he has no reason to envy his neighbors to the north. The aromas are typical of fine Burgundy: raspberry, incense, cedar, and clove; on the palate, it presents a dense core and fine tannin. While all of François’s reds offer pleasure now and have good aging potential, none are more cellar-worthy than A Vigne Rouge. But to be honest, I’ve never resisted the temptation to drink it young!"
—Will Meinberg
Critical Acclaim: BH 93 Burghound.com
An elegant, pure and again airy nose flashes notes of both red and dark raspberry aromas along with a whisper of spiced plum. The full-bodied flavors are at once dense and powerful but sleek thanks to the relatively fine-grained tannins shaping the succulent, mouth coating and hugely long finish. In the same fashion as the Cras Long, this is clearly built-to-age and is going to need at least 5 years to become approachable. Bravo! 93/2026+
RP 92 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Givry 1er Cru A Vigne Rouge is very pretty, unfurling in the glass with a complex bouquet of raspberries, rich spice, citrus zest and dried flowers. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, velvety and bright, with terrific energy and a generous core of ripe fruit that conceals its fine, chalky tannins.
About, thanks to importer, KLWM. In the late 1970s, François Lumpp and his brother inherited their family property, located in the Côte Chalonnaise. In 1991 he founded his own label with his wife, Isabelle. Using cuttings of older, selected bud wood (sélection massale), François developed his domaine around Givry's best premier cru sites, which, as in most of the Côte d’Or, are situated on the mid to upper level slopes of the rolling hillsides.
Givry, along with Mercurey, is one of the two predominantly red wine producing appellations of the Côte Chalonnaise, while the neighboring appellations of Bouzeron, Rully, and Montagny produce primarily white wine. Givry is known for its refined and approachable reds, whereas Mercurey can often be harder and more austere when young. The best examples of Givry can have substantial structure, depth, and complexity, however, and can be expected to age as successfully as the premier crus of the Côte de Beaune, which is certainly the case at this address. François was one of the first to believe in the potential of Givry’s terroir for white Burgundy, and is reputed for his white today. His Chardonnays are a study in grace and balance.
The Lumpp domaine is an especially good fit here at KLWM because it embodies exactly what we have always looked for in Burgundy: a true vigneron in a specific village. Every wine François makes is from Givry, from vineyards that he planted and nurtured himself–something that is exceedingly rare in Burgundy today, and will become more and more so over time. An acknowledged leader of the appellation, his greatest achievement is harnessing the finesse we look for in Burgundian Pinot Noir—le Pinot fin.
Givry Rouge 1er Cru A Vigne Rouge:
• Southern, Southwestern, 850 feet above sea level, and Eastern, Southeastern sun exposure, 836 feet above sea level
A more recent update, as of the 2018 vintage, via Jasper Morris. François Lumpp, who set up his domaine from scratch in 1977 when the vineyards of Givry covered barely 100ha, is now getting close to retirement, though a son Pierre and a daughter, Anne-Cécile, have joined him to assure the future.
The white grapes are directly pressed, settled, yeasts added to start the fermentation in tank, then sent down to barrel. The red grapes are all destemmed, given 5 to 8 days pre-maceration out of 3 weeks in all, with temperatures managed to avoid peaking above 32°c. 70% new wood is used for the red wines and 25-30% for the whites.