This past Spring, on a crisp, uplifting morning in Bourgogne, the glaring sun climbs high in a blue, blue sky as silence prevails in the empty public parking lot in the center of Givry. That’s Givry—not the famed village of Gevrey-Chambertin, a tourist attraction located further north in Bourgogne’s famous Côte D’Or subregion.
Givry lies in the Côte Chalonnaise subregion about fifteen miles immediately south of the Côte D’Or. Despite its low profile in modern times, this traditional Bourgogne commune’s fame and winemaking roots stretch back over a thousand years. In the Middle Ages, hard working monks gradually identified and named Givry’s best vineyard sites.
On this lovely morning, we look forward to learning about the monks’ legacy as we walk through the impressive “Porte de l’Hôtel de Ville” to meet André Bordeaux-Montrieux. This twenty-something young winegrower serves at Domaine Baron Thénard, his family’s traditional Givry wine estate.
Further along the narrow street, several workers discretely use a small backhoe on the cobblestones in the domaine’s snug, walled courtyard. But Domaine Baron Thénard’s main Eighteenth Century Cellars lie just a few blocks away. There Bordeaux-Montrieux and his team consistently turn out reliably well made Bourgogne wines from vineyards in both the Côte D’Or and the Côte Chalonnaise. The latter wines deliver tremendous quality and value.
As we learn during our conversation, André’s biggest challenge arises in striking a balance between making incremental changes while building on the Domaine’s traditional foundation. Our discussion offers a great glimpse at both the traditional and modern challenges facing the new generation of Bourgogne winegrowers.
A Foot In Two Terroirs
On the one hand, as a multigenerational domaine with deep roots in Bourgogne’s famed Côte D’Or subregion, André works with vines in prestigious Grand Cru vineyards such as Le Montrachet, one of the world’s most famous white wine vineyards.
On the other hand, Domaine Baron Thénard owns extensive vineyards to the south in the Côte Chalonnaise, an area less well-known to global consumers. Domaine Thénard’s Côte D’Or vineyards add up to around 12 acres, less than a third of the approximately its 40 acres of vines in the Côte Chalonnaise.
Working closely with his father, Jean-Baptiste, André must allocate limited resources to produce outstanding wines in both regions. This is especially pertinent since the domaine’s main winery is in Givry lies 15 miles south of the Côte D’Or.
André’s approach to these challenges and opportunities relies heavily on lessons learned from his grandfather and father. That mentorship comes in handy as André takes calculated risks to adapt to a modern workforce, government regulations, changing consumer tastes and the universal challenges of climate change.
The Thénard’s Family Rich History in Bourgogne
André Bordeaux-Montrieux’s family began working in the Givry vineyards in the 1700’s. But it was not until the 1800’s that Baron Paul Thénard created the family’s own domaine.
Paul’s father, Baron Louis Thénard, was born in the Champagne region and grew up in Bourgogne. His fame and fortune arose in Paris as a chemist. Among his many scientific successes, he discovered hydrogen peroxide. He was honored with the title of “Baron.”
His son Paul Thénard, inherited the title of Baron. He, too became a prominent chemist and politician in his own right. Paul married into a family with extensive vineyard holdings in Givry and a Château in Talmay, also in Bourgogne.
In the 1800s, Paul confronted the destructive phylloxera mite that appeared in France’s soils and began killing grapevines. He fought valiantly to combat the mites with chemical injections into the soil. The method, however, was cumbersome and only moderately effective.
At the same time, Paul founded the Domaine Baron Thénard in Givry in 1842. He had vines from his wife’s family in Givry, but Paul also attempted, unsuccessfully, to purchase the famous Clos Vougeot Grand Cru vineyard in the Côte D’Or.
He instead “settled” in 1872 for a large purchase in Le Montrachet Grand Cru vineyard, which today enjoys worldwide prestige. The Thénard family remains the second-largest owner of the vineyard.
Leaping Forward in the Twentieth Century
In the 20th century, other high-profile acquisitions followed in the Côte D’Or, including Clos St. Jean 1er Cru in Chassagne-Montrachet, Clos du Roi Grand Cru in Corton, and Grands Échezeaux Grand Cru in Flagey. Jacques, André’s grandfather, used a two-pronged strategy to manage the sprawling vineyards.
First, in the Côte D’Or, he hired independent contractors, or tâcherons, living close by to perform the endless, meticulous tasks — pruning, plowing and the like — necessary to keep the vines in shape and healthy. Over the years, the tâcherons became well acquainted with each vine to make the work more efficient. To this day, according to André, some of the same families continue tending Domaine Baron Thénard’s Côte D’Or vines.
Next, rather than harvesting the Côte D’Or vineyards and bottling the wines under the domaine’s own name, grandfather Jacques sold the fruit to highly reputed wine merchants such as Remoissenet Père et Fils and Maison Louis Jadot. This allowed the domaine to be paid upfront at each vintage, solidifying Domaine Baron Thénard’s cash flow.
The merchants, in turn, fermented, aged, bottled and eventually sold the wines under their own names.
Meanwhile, in Givry, André’s grandfather focused on producing traditional Bourgogne-style reds. His efforts resulted in classic Pinot Noir-based wines with light to medium concentration, fine freshness and ample red fruit balanced with pleasant earthiness.
The Givry wines found a ready market in France especially because of their competitive prices. Some of them, according to André, may have been sold under the name of Mercurey, a neighboring village which had a better reputation than Givry at the time.
André’s father, Jean-Baptiste, joined the domaine in the 1980s and took the helm in 1993.
“My father slowly and steadily changed the face of the domaine,” André notes. “His essential idea was to work to improve the quality of the wines and to build the reputation of the domaine.”
Jean-Baptiste continued making traditional wines in Givry while starting to change the business relationship with Remoissenet Père et Fils in the Côte D’Or. In 2005, after modifying a non-compete limitation with Remoissenet, Domaine Thénard began exporting its Givry wines to the United States for the first time.
In 2012, Domaine Baron Thénard ended the exclusive deal to sell its grapes from Le Montrachet Grand Cru to Remoissenet. This bold change meant that Jean-Baptiste had to begin fermenting, aging, bottling and selling its own Côte D’Or wines.
This ambitious move put the domaine’s name front and center on the world stage for prestigious wines. It burnished Domaine Baron Thénard’s reputation both in France and internationally while increasing the pressure to produce outstanding Côte D’Or wines.
That said, improving the quality and availability of the Domaine Baron Thénard’s Givry wines remains an important priority and opportunity.
Cistercian Monks, King Henri, IV, and the Fame of Givry Wines
In promoting quality Givry wines, André embraces the village’s history of quality winemaking going back to Medieval times. Cistercian monks from La Ferte Abbey established a winegrowing outpost in Givry, a grange known as the Cellier Aux Moines, the Monk’s Cellar.
As early as 1170, the monks owned significant swathes of Givry vineyards. Monks laboring in the vineyards were entitled to drink daily up one liter of wine. Why not drink tasty wines after a hard day’s work in the vines?
Over centuries of hard work and observation, the monks identified the best sites whose limestone and clay soils, gentle slopes and sun exposure produced outstanding grapes and excellent wines. The monks named these vineyards as top crus.
The fame of Givry’s vineyard fame spread. By the late 1500s Givry’s reputation became national for providing French King Henri IV’s preferred red wines. It did not hurt that the king’s favorite mistress, Gabrielle d’Estrées, lived nearby, which prompted frequent trips to Givry to visit their three children.
After the French Revolution and the problems created by phylloxera, the fame of Givry’s wines faded. But eventually the French government acknowledged the quality of Givry’s vineyards and officially designated the best sites as 1er Crus.
Domaine Baron Thénard is blessed to have a monopoly on Givry “Clos Saint-Pierre” 1er Cru, holdings in in Givry “Clos du Cellier aux Moines.” 1er Cru, .]as well as substantial holdings in Givry “Bois Chevaux,” 1er Cru which has an ideal east-facing position in mid-slope. André’s goal is to maintain an effective team working toward mastering every detail required to maximize the quality and reputation of these excellent vines.
Focus On Quality First
The domaine’s focus on quality begins first and foremost in the vines.
“We no longer use chemical herbicides and pesticides on the the vines,” André notes. “And we only use fungicides in lutte raisonnée, that is, when absolutely needed to protect the fruit.”
During harvest, the domaine works with up to 40 pickers from not only France, but also Italy, England, New Zealand and elsewhere. It is crucial that they select grapes which, according to André, create the opportunity for the desired style of wines.
“Selection of the grapes is the most important task,” André says. “It sounds easy, but it’s not.”
“We do not try for wines with huge tannins,” he adds. “We want tasty wines with delicacy, purity and elegance. We want our drinkers to feel the terroir of these beautiful vineyards in the glass.”
In the damp wine cellar dating to the 18th century, André and his team rely on open top fermentation for the red wines. Indigenous yeasts on the grape skins guide the fermentation rather than commercial yeasts that can mask the grapes’ natural traits.
Twice each day as the fermentation unfolds over two weeks, the team follows tradition by using their feet to punch down the hard cap on top of the grapes. This helps ensure the development of proper red color, aromas and flavors without imparting harsh tannins.
After fermentation, André “decants” the new wine by siphoning it off the lees, i.e., the spent yeast cells. But, he says, it is critical to include a selection of lees with the new wines as they age in wood before bottling. For the aging, the domaine uses a combination of oak barrels and large wooden casks known as foudres.
“After we put the new wines with selected lees to age in wood, we don’t touch the wine for up to two years before bottling,” he notes. “This allows the wine to stabilize properly and allows better structure for longer aging in the bottle.”
After recently tasting the red wines in the cellar with André, rest assured the domaine is achieving great results. Try the following bottles for great Q.P.R.—-quality price ratio:
The 2020 Domaine Baron Thénard Givry “Clos du Cellier aux Moines” ($38 at winesearcher.com) has a lovely deep burgundy color and aromas of black cherries and a touch of spiciness. On the palate, delicious blackberry and black cherries flavors mix with a hint of earthiness. It finishes with fine, supple tannins and excellent freshness.
2020 Domaine Baron Thénard Givry “Clos Saint-Pierre Monopole” ($49 at winesearcher.com) is similar in aromas and delicious flavors, but the tannins are more structured. This wine will benefit from additional cellar aging of several years.
We also tasted two white wines.
The 2022 Domaine Baron Thénard Givry Blanc offers engaging white peach aromas opening to fresh, vibrant flavors, medium body, and a dry finish.
The 2019 Domaine Baron Thénard Le Montrachet Grand Cru ($773 at winesearcher.com ) has a deep golden color and aromas of grilled nuts, freshly baked brioche and ripe apricots opening to rich flavors of peaches and apricots with superb freshness. The opulent, fruity and dry finish lingers beautifully.
Cheers!
What a well written and well researched article. I’ve been a fan of Givry for many decades. Not such a bargain anymore, some of my faves are retailing for well into the $60. But they are excellent.
Glad to see you are making it to France and I’m sure having a good time. I was in Alsace and Lorraine for a month in the Spring and will head to southern France including Bordeaux for a month in the fall.
Thanks, again, Bobby!