News
FRANCOIS LUMPP 2019 VINTAGE RELEASE
Update on estate by William Kelley – The Wine Advocate – visit in July 2021
“Pierre and Anne-Cécile Lumpp are now taking over the reins at this Côte Chalonnaise reference point, and the 2019 vintage confirms that they are building on the success of their parents, as it’s the most brilliant I’ve ever tasted at this address. Farming is organic without certification, and many of the domaine’s parcels have been replanted in the last couple of decades with superior vine material taken from Burgundy’s best domaines—something that’s essential if the Côte Chalonnaise is to make qualitative progress. In the winery, the Lumpp family eschews stylistic extremes in the cellar, fermenting destemmed fruit with temperature control and maturing their wines in barrels: 70% new for the reds and 30% new for the whites. As I’ve written, these bottles are a staple of France’s best restaurants’ wine lists for good reason; and the sumptuous, succulent and expressive 2019 vintage merits especially ardent pursuit”
THE ESTATE
Francois and Isabelle Lumpp own this frankly amazing 9 hectare domaine in Givry and for the those in the know it’s so much more than it AOP title. So often the collector and sommelier dismiss the wines of Givry vs their royal counterparts in Cote d’Or. These are superstar wines that are simply ridiculous value for high quality red Burgundy. I first discovered Francois Lumpp’s wines via a ‘tip off’ from Mounir Saouma, owner of the iconic Lucien le Moine wines of Burgundy. Francois inherited his families vineyards in the late 1970’s and then started his own label in 1991. He is focused entirely on the best premier cru sites of Givry. Givry so often confused with its more famous brother Gevry in the Cote d’Or but can produce stunning Pinot Noir of structure and finesse, particularly when handled by Francois.
THE WINEMAKING
Whites are whole bunched pressed, left for 24 hours to settle under chilled conditions then a small racking off gross lees before going into tank to start the ferment then transferred to barrel. Damy & Taransaud cooperage used for the whites of which 30% is new. Francois emphasizes he gets barrels with very low toasting. No racking during elevage, 12 months.
Red’s are 100% destemmed, fermented in open top tanks. No racking after pressing and placed in Taransaud barrels of which 70% new. Anne Cecile (daughter) mentions that you can hardly see the toasting in the barrels it so light. No racking during elevage, 12 months.
THE VILLAGE OF GIVRY
Firstly, legally you can plant Chardonnay or Pinot Noir in any 1er Cru albeit most plant Pinot Noir. The appellation as Francois describes it can be split into 3 general zones. The northern part has red soils due to the iron oxide presence dotted with small particles of limestone. Clos Jus and Brulee Crus have the highest % on this iron influence, in fact Clos Jus is perhaps the Clos de Vougeot of the village in that the 1er Cru is divided among many growers. At the Southern end of the appellation is yellow soil (Marne) and lots of Calcare/Limestone, giving more elegance to the wines from this area (Crausot, La Plante, En Cras Long). The middle part shares across the plots a mix of the North and South soil types.
THE WINES
GIVRY 1ER CRU BLANC CRAUSOT 2019
Tiny production of white made by François. Crausot 1er Cru contains high levels of Calcerous soil, very similiar to Sancerre. 0.82 of a hectare planted with Chardonnay.
“The 2019 Givry Crausot 1er Cru Blanc has a fragrant bouquet with enticing scents of red apples, orange pith and light flinty notes, almost Puligny-like in style. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity. It is not amazingly complex but that is not really its raison d’être. It has plenty of freshness plus a lilting, charming finish with just a touch of bitter lemon that lends it edge. This is a well crafted Givry from Lumpp” – 91 – Vinous
“The most structured of the domaine’s three whites is the 2019 Givry 1er Cru Crausot Blanc, a medium to full-bodied, satiny wine that’s evocative of orange oil, pears, pastry cream and white flowers. Textural and incisive, it’s framed by chalky extract” – 92 – William Kelley – Wine Advocate
“A whiff of exoticism is present on the ripe aromas of passion fruit, white peach and even more discreet wood influence. The round and delicious medium weight flavors possess a lovely sense of underlying tension along with a subtle minerality that arises on the lingering and slightly more complex finale. Lovely” – 89-92 – Burghound
GIVRY 1ER CRU BLANC PETIT MAROLE 2019
Of the two white wines we import from Lumpp the 1er Cru of Petit Marole certainly shows it’s richness in comparison to the Crausot. Petit Marole in the northern middle part of the village has a high density of Clay, offering a white with richness. 0.3 Hectares planted.
“The 2019 Givry 1er Cru Petit Marole Blanc unwinds in the glass with aromas of peach, nutmeg, orange oil and clear honey. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, it’s girdled by bright acids and concludes with a beautifully defined finish” – 91 – William Kelley – The Wine Advocate
BOURGOGNE ROUGE LA PAULEE 2019
Consider it’s from a low yielding hillside spot (45 hectolitres per hectare), high quality estate fruit from Francois’s stable in Givry and same aging (70% new oak, full lees, only racked once before bottling). Frankly it’s as good as most village wines and as the critics continue to say a bargain for the quality in the bottle. 0.5 hectare, vines are an average age of 10 years. La Paulee comes from a site next to the Givry village plot of En Bartias, just in the SW tip of the appellation. It’s south facing and is very steep delivering good drainage to a site only classified as Bourgogne.
“Ripe aromas include those of plum, spice, earth and a top note of violet. The very rich and borderline opulent flavors possess unusually good volume for a Bourgogne, all wrapped in a lingering and mildly rustic finale. This is really quite good for its level and worth checking out” – Outstanding – Top Value – 86-89 Burghound
GIVRY 1ER CRU ROUGE LA BRULEE 2019
La Paulee comes from a site next to the Givry village plot of En Bartias, just in the SW tip of the appellation. It’s south facing and is very steep delivering good drainage to a site only classified as Bourgogne. Low yielding hillside spot (45 hectolitres per hectare), made exactly the same as the 1er Cru’s. 0.5 of a hectare, average age of 10 years.
“Liqueur-like aromas of raspberry, plum and pretty spice nuances introduce succulent, even juicy, medium weight flavors that also conclude in a bitter cherry pit-inflected and youthfully finish that sufficiently firm to suggest that at least a few years of patience will be necessary” – 89-92 Burghound
GIVRY 1ER CRU ROUGE CRAUSOT 2019
Crausot is a fairly new 1er Cru, established in the 1990’s. It’s at the southern tip of the appellation and very calcareous soils, extremely mineral styled wines. South East exposure. Pronounced ‘Crow-Sooh’. 0.93 Hectares of 25 Year old Pinot Noir vines planted.
“This is aromatically similar to the La Brûlée but spicier and more floral-inflected. There is a lovely sense of underlying tension to the silky and solidly dense middle weight flavors that possess just a bit more overall depth and persistence on the balanced, firm and built-to-age finale” – Outstanding – 90-93 – Burghound
“The 2019 Givry 1er Cru Crausot is showing very well, mingling notions of berries and plums with sweet spices in an inviting bouquet. Medium to full-bodied, layered and succulent, with fine tannins and bright acids, it concludes with a long, flavorful finish” – 92 – William Kelley – The Wine Advocate
“The 2019 Givry Crausot 1er Cru has an intense bouquet, the fruit darker than the à Vigne Rouge, very well defined with a touch more spiciness. The palate is well balanced with sappy red fruit, fine acidity, quite fleshy towards the finish with cranberry and raspberry lingering on the aftertaste. It doesn’t quite finish with the panache I was hoping, but it remains a quality Givry from one of Givry’s best producers” – 90-92 – Neal Martin – Vinous
GIVRY 1ER CRU ROUGE PETIT MAROLE 2019
Sourced from 25 year old vines this 1er Cru sits at the top of the middle part of the appellation leaning more towards the North ‘Clay’ styles. 0.76 hcts owned by the domaine. This wine often opens before the rest of reds, Francois reminds me during tastings this is usually the first 1er Cru to be enjoyed.
“Here too the expressive nose is quite fresh with its nose of essence of plum, cassis, spice and a very subtle hint of wood. The suave, round and seductively textured medium-bodied flavors conclude in a sappy, long and relatively powerful bitter cherry pit-inflected finish. At least some patience will be necessary” – 89-92 Burghound
GIVRY 1ER CRU ROUGE ‘LE PIED DU CLOU’ 2019
Pied du Clou is a Monopole owned by Francois Lumpp, located just behind the winery in the centre of the appellation. It came about after Francois began the process of the foundations of the winery and saw how superb the soil soil was. He applied to the INAO and was granted 1er Cru status in 2010. 0.65 of a hectare planted.
“An equally ripe yet slightly cooler nose features notes of red cherry coulis, raspberry, plum and a touch of earth. The sleek, delicious and much more finely textured flavors possess notably better depth and excellent persistence on the dusty and youthfully austere finale. This is also quite good and worth considering” – Outstanding – 90-92 – Burghound