2023 Domaine du Cellier aux Moines - Givry Clos du Cellier aux Moines (750ml) [PRE ARRIVAL]

The Clos du Cellier aux Moines was established around 1130 by Cistercian monks from the Abbey of La Ferté, the first daughter house of Cîteaux, whose sister order had founded Clos Vougeot in the Côte d'Or just a few years earlier. It was these monastic orders that first identified Burgundy's finest terroirs and marked out its earliest clos, aiming to supply wine worthy of the papacy and the abbeys' considerable hospitality. The estate remained church property until the French Revolution, then passed through a single Burgundian family for two centuries before falling into obscurity. In 2004, Philippe and Catherine Pascal, along with their three children, acquired the property and began a painstaking restoration, building a new gravity-flow winery and bringing on Guillaume Marko, previously of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, to oversee vineyards and winemaking under organic and biodynamic practices.

The Pascal family's holding within the Clos totals five hectares, the largest single stake in this thirteen-hectare premier cru and widely considered the finest terroir in Givry. The vineyard, planted entirely to Pinot Noir, sits on a mix of clay and limestone within the historic walls surrounding the original cellier. Following a period of low-temperature maceration, fermentation begins naturally, and the wine ages around eighteen months in oak before further time settling in tank, a minimalist approach designed to let the fruit's purity speak for itself.

The wine shows the red cherry notes typical of Givry, layered with minerals, a touch of black fruit, and a savory complexity beyond simple fruit. The texture is velvety and suave, revealing more depth with each sip. It pairs beautifully with braised veal, roast duck, or charcuterie.