From: Cote Chalonnaise, Burgundy, France
Varietal: Pinot Noir

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 Le Pied du Clou:
• Southeastern sun exposure, 740 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.

From Jasper Morris regarding Le Pied du Clou. A Monopole but not marked as such on label. François Lumpp bought this plot adjacent to his winery in 1991 and found the wine to be quite special. He asked for 1er cru status and was refused, but when the INAO commission came by he happened to have a digger handy and….upgrade granted! The commissioners agreed that the soil profile was consistent with the vineyards on the slopes, despite its flat location down by the main road. The vines were replanted in 2006 and mostly in 2010 so as to get better material. Not quite so dense in colour but it is an attractive nose, with good rich juice behind. Young vines of course.