2002 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes

Domaine Vincent Girardin is a 50-acre estate made up of 42 parcels in Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. Vincent Girardin himself was born in Santenay, in the Cote de Beaune, and is an 11th generation winemaker. He started his own domaine in 1982 with just 5 acres of land, but he has added to the estate over the years, which he now runs with wife, Veronique. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called Girardin an “extremely talented winemaker” and notes that Girardin’s top grand and premier crus “are at the same quality level of those crafted by Burgundy’s other excellent domaines and negociants. What sets this firm apart are the bevy of delicious, eminently drinkable wines it produces from lesser known appellations, including its home village of Santenay.” The domain makes red and white Burgundies.

Les Combettes is a 19.4-acre acre Premier Cru vineyard in the Puligny-Montrachet appellation in Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. It is on the northern edge of the appellation and borders Meursault. Les Combettes is considered the appellation’s finest Premier Cru, and writer Clive Coates calls Les Combettes “the most complete wine” of the four Premier Cru vineyards in northern Puligny-Montrachet. Les Combettes, he writes, “is a mouthwatering and deliciously elegant combination of Meursault and Puligny, with the steeliness of the latter and the honeysuckle and hazelnut of the former.”

This white variety originated in Burgundy, but is now grown around the world. Its flexibility to thrive in many regions translates to wide flavor profile in the market. Chardonnay is commonly used in making Champagne and sparkling wines.