2023 Burgundy: Francois Lumpp

And the premier crus of Givry

If you thought that Burgundy premier crus were sliding beyond the cusp of affordability, take a look at Givry. South of the Cote d'Or, the villages of the Cote Chalonnaise offer the magical combination of good terroirs and reasonable pricing. Before phylloxera, the vineyards of Givry were the most highly-regarded on the Chalonnaise, of equal prestige to the vineyards of Beaune. Historical records show them being given as gifts between royalty, and purchased by popes. At Uncorked, we have a few Chalonnaise favourites, but tasting this year there was a clear regional winner: from the village of Givry, Domaine Francois Lumpp. 

Mr. Lumpp founded his eponympous domaine at the end of the 1970s. He began by laying out vineyards on the slopes around Givry, aiming for the mid-to-upper-slope 'sweet spot' the vines like best. Givry tends to produce a firmer style of red, and Francois argues that success here depends on taming tannins. If you tread the vineyards, you will see limestone pebbles embedded in clay; and Francois is convinced that these soils can be as good for whites as for the reds the village is more famous for. After many years of hard work, he has recently stepped back, and allowed his daughter Anne-Cecile and her partner Nicolas Blesson to front the domaine. Based on the Lumpp 2023s we tasted, these youngsters are doing an alarmingly good job.

Teppe des Cheneves is a top-slope, village-level vineyard. It tends to make a lighter, more mineral, more perfumed style of wine. (In case you are intrigued by the name, it is old Burgundian French for 'pocked slope'). Of the premier crus, in 2023 Crausot and Petit Marole have achieved an exquisite balance of fruit, acidity, tannin and matter. Crausot has very limestone-dense soils, and is the more tense. And the premier cru vineyard A Vigne Rouge invariably provides the biggest, most powerful red in the village. /NT

Offered subject to remaining unsold. For shipment Winter 2025. To place an order, click on the wines below, or call 020 7638 5998