From the beginning, the project aimed to restore biodiversity in the vineyards, something he felt had been lost due to the focus on single-crop farming across the region. This ‘eco-attitude’ means Pierre-Olivier experiments with cereals, ploughing, planting trees and even using chickens to graze the land, in an attempt to bring back bees and butterflies to his 0.4 hectares of vineyard.
In addition, he sources grapes from a network of grower friends, with whom he works closely, in order to have as much control over the quality as possible.
Pierre-Olivier Garcia is an advocate of low-intervention winemaking. He uses no new oak, believing its character inhibits the wine’s ability to express its origin. He also pioneered ‘baie par baie’, or ‘berry by berry’, a painstaking process which involves hand-cutting each individual grape from the bunch, with the stalk intact. This technique takes 30 people an entire day to complete a single barrel, yet Pierre-Olivier perseveres with this practise since it results in enhanced aromas and complexity in the finished wine.
The Aligoté ‘Les Champs Tions’ is a serious style of Aligoté sourced from grapes grown in Fixin and vinified solely in oak. Made using 50% whole-bunch fermentation, the Marsannay ‘Clos du Roy’ has aromas of crunchy red fruits, floral notes and fine tannins, an intense wine for this level. The three Nuits-Saint-Georges wines, ‘Les Herbues’, ‘Les Charmois’ and ‘Les Grandes Vignes’, are made using different ratios of ‘baie par baie’, whole bunches and destemmed grapes. While all displaying delicate floral aromas and velvety tannins, each shows a strong expression of their ‘climat’ within this famous village.
Finally, the Corton Grand Cru is made using 100% ‘baie par baie’, the result is an intense, deep and energetic wine with subtle floral character, vibrant fruit and very fine tannins.
This tiny address in Nuits-Saint-Georges already has a cult following and a bright future ahead.
ABV 13.5%
