Domaine Pierre Girardin Pommard 1er Cru "les Rugiens Bas"

Pierre-Vincent Girardin launched his domaine in 2016 — at roughly 19 years old, 13th generation of a Burgundian winemaking family — and by his debut 2017 vintage had already drawn serious critical attention, an almost unheard-of trajectory in a region where reputations are built over decades. Les Rugiens Bas sits at the southern foot of Pommard's most celebrated slope, where the iron-oxide-rich, reddish Jurassic marl and marly limestone soils that give the climat its name ('rougeots,' the red ones) produce Pinot Noir of notably deeper colour and firmer structure than the lighter soils further upslope. East-facing mid-slope exposure at approximately 260 m channels morning sun while preserving overnight cool, slowing ripening and locking in acidity. From the 2021 vintage onward, Girardin committed to 100% whole-cluster vinification across his reds — a deliberate structural choice that introduces stem tannin, lifts aromatics, and extends the wine's aging architecture without relying on new wood. Reds age in standard 228-litre Burgundy barriques at low new-oak percentage, then three months in tank before bottling unfined and unfiltered, timed to the lunar calendar. The special feature here: whole-cluster inclusion at this scale is rare in Pommard, where the appellation's reputation rests on extraction and density — Girardin inverts that logic entirely, chasing silkiness over power. The 2022 Burgundy vintage delivered generous, sun-ripened fruit with naturally moderate acidity; in Girardin's hands, the low-intervention approach preserves the iron-mineral tension of Rugiens Bas rather than letting the warmth of the year dominate.