Domaine Pierre Girardin Meursault 1er Cru "Les Perrieres"

Pierre-Vincent Girardin launched his domaine in 2016 at roughly 19 years old — the 13th generation of a Burgundian winemaking family — and immediately broke with the richer, more oak-driven Meursault tradition his own lineage helped define. Les Perrières sits on the mid-slope of Meursault at approximately 260 m elevation, its name derived from the ancient limestone quarries beneath: Jurassic marly limestone that drains sharply, stresses the vine into concentration, and drives the cru's signature flinty, almost saline tension rather than the buttery weight of lower-slope Meursault. Fermentation proceeds with indigenous yeasts in custom 456-litre barrels — double the volume of Burgundy's standard 228-litre pièce — a deliberate engineering choice that halves the wood-to-wine surface ratio and keeps oak influence subordinate to terroir. No bâtonnage is performed, preserving the wine's vertical, mineral line rather than building textural richness; 12 months in barrel at 30% new oak are followed by 6 months in stainless steel before bottling unfined and unfiltered on the lunar calendar. The special feature: in a village historically celebrated for opulence, Girardin produces what is arguably Meursault's most architecturally austere premier cru — closer in spirit to Chablis Grand Cru than to a Roulot Charmes. The 2022 vintage in Burgundy delivered generous but well-framed fruit with natural acidity intact, lending Les Perrières its characteristic taut, quarry-stone core alongside riper stone-fruit weight.