Two Stunning Pinots from Our Burgundian Master Affordable Yet Delicious Premier Crus One for Now and One for the Cellar

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

There are some producers that have great interesting stories behind them.  They were rockclimbers, they love basketball and rap, whatever.  Not JJ Girard. Girard just makes fantastic wines from

different terroir every year like clockwork. Too much rain?  No problem. Too little?  No problem. Too hot, too cold, he always delivers great wines.  I like to think of Girard as the postman - he always delivers great wines in any conditions. As I write this, I am humming Laurie Anderson's eternal O Superman (which uses that the above line at 4:10). And because he is Vieux France and doesn't market his wines, they are incredibly affordable given the consistently high quality.

In 2013 - the weather was bad.  I mean end of the world bad, it's sunny one minute, the apocalypse is happening the next minute and you have to run for cover. That happened in 2013 and I happened to be driving to Volnay to see Pascal Bouley, with whom I missed that trip because of this epic hailstorm. The sky became very, very dark while we were driving through Pommard. And then the rain started. Sheets and sheets. Water was pouring down the Grand Epenots onto the main road and then the hail started. You had massive rain and hail at the same time. We drove into the driveway of the closest estate and were under a tree but half the car was being pelted with golf ball size hail. It lasted 30ish minutes but time goes slow and fast in a hailstorm. They are crazy. Then after it is over, you are happy it is over, for maybe 2 minutes, and then the feeling of dread just overtakes everything as the realization sinks in that everything has changed and production has to be cut, and how much damage was there, and how can we have hail this many years in a row. Another storm also happened in 2014. It spread like a virus. You could cut the air with a knife it was was so thick with dread. But from these ashes a Phoenix can arise. And what was salvaged in the Côte de Beaune was turned out to be pretty special in the right hands. Those hands definitely happen to be JJ Girard. His 2013s are breathtaking wines in the harshest of vintages. It's remarkable what he was able to achieve in white and red. He was very kind to give me small allocations of two of his 2013 Pernand 1er Cru's, which are my favorite 1er Cru reds he makes. He was down 30-40% in both of these vineyards. Balance is the key to Girard's wines and through a draconian sort he really got terrific material in 2013 despite the hailpocalypse. So the price is up a dollar or two as a result.

Up first is the 2013 JJ Girard Pernand-Vergellesses 1er Cru "Les Fichots" which can be had for  as little as $32.99 a bottle. This is Girard's most serious Pernand and always needs some time in the bottle to gain depth and become more expressive. In 2013, it is perhaps the most intensely structured of the 3 vintages that I have sold. I love the nose of this wine. Mineral, leafy, tweed sweater and cherry lipstick abound. So aromatic in that friendly, pure, cheerful, JJ Girard way. Happy and fine yet serious and deep. Very French. Juicy, ripe, concentrated, powerful and deep palate that really soaks your mouth with fruit. Really right core and surprising how giving it is for being so ungiving. The fruit has a confit style to it that is drop dead gorgeous. The soils here create the tannin quality Jean Jacques explained to me as I tasted. They are the biggest fiercest tannins of any of his 1er Cru's including in Savigny. But they are ripe and elegant as well. This is a very serious bottle of Pernand that needs 3-5 years in the cellar or a major decant now but is absolutely terrific and has a long life ahead of it.

Up next is something a bit more accessible in '13 which is the 2013 JJ Girard Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru "Aux Vergelesses," which can be had for as little as $32.99 on the 4-pack. This is as good if not better than the magnificent 2012. This is an absurd price for a wine from a great vineyard and the Aux Vergelesses is indeed that. The wine is multi layered and complex aromatically right out of the gates with a heavenly, supple-like and very elegant texture. Sweet, brambly fruit and lively poignant acidity that is ripe and makes this wine come alive in your mouth. The harmony is truly outrageous. He coaxed terrific freshness and precision out of the wine. There is a some structure for sure but the tannins are ripe and chewy and there is dazzling purity. I love JJ Girard's wines and both of these Pernands I will sell every year as they are utterly classic Burgundies, Pernads and most importantly fairly priced.

2013 JJ Girard Pernand Vergelesses 1er Cru "Les Fichots" - $34.99 ($131.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)

2013 JJ Girard Pernand Verglesses 1er Cru "Aux Verglesses" - $34.99 ($131.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)