Berry by berry, they say. Baie-par-baie (as it's said in French) is one of the least-seen methods in the cellar, since it’s laborious and not super scalable. It entails hand destemming each bunch (by, yes, each berry) to ensure the berry remains intact.

This almost-maniacal way of working is at the heart of the wines of Pierre-Olivier Garcia. 

Burghounds might recognize the labels by a slightly different name. In 2016 Pierre-Olivier partnered with friend Matthieur Moron to make wine in their hometown Nuits-Saint-Georges under the ‘Moron-Garcia’ label.’ For three vintages they built a small but glowing reputation for those in-the-know. And, in 2020 Pierre-Olivier picked up where they started, taking full ownership of the tiny operation which combines domaine and negoce fruit. 

He now owns a few parcels (totalling 1 hectare) and sources from 4.5 hectares, all of which are either organically or biodynamically farmed. He has an unusually high understanding of his terroir as his father Jean-Pierre Garcia is one of Burgundy’s leading geologists and a professor in Dijon. The knowledge he brings to each vineyard is almost unmatched. And, if you look at the back label, there's a small easter egg: each has an explanation about the origin of the name of the vineyard.

Fruit is hand harvested in small bins and brought to the cellar where the work is meticulous. Everything is settled into a cold room for a day, sorted and fermented. The regimen is the same for each red except the Brouilly. A third of the fermented fruit is destemmed, a third left whole cluster and the final third is clipped at the bottom of each berry’s individual stem, baie-par-bai. Gentle extraction and pressing is the word here. Pierre-Olivier only uses buckets from the tank to “pump over” and applies an intentional two hour pressing of the the juice off the skins. Elevage and barrel choice depends on the cuvee. And, no cuvee sees sulfur until bottling. 

The end result is a wildly artisan wine that can’t help express its terroir through intense aromatics and fresh fruit. 

2022 VINTAGE RELEASE:

Bourgogne Aligote ‘Les Champs Tions’ 
80 to 100-year-old vines in Fixin. 58/btl
 
Brouilly 'La Folie' 
The one non-pinot red is a boisterous blue fruited wine from one of the cru’s oldest sites. The only red that doesn’t see the ⅓ method. 55/btl
 
Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘La Petite Charmotte’ 
Northern side of Nuits-St-Georges, beneath 1er Cru Bousselot. Gentle slope, eastern exposure. 140/btl
 
Nuits-Saint-Georges 'Les Charmois' 
Behind the town of NSG, on a forest’s edge, there are two different parts: one with vines of 45-50 years’ age, and another of 65-70 years. A story book parcel. 140/btl
 
Nuits-Saint-Georges 'Aux Allots’ 
A clay-rich mid-slope site just south of Aux Lavieres. Sits immediately below the band of Premiers Crus Murgers and Les Boudots. 140/btl
 
Nuits-Saint-Georges 'Aux Saints-Jacques' 
Located in the northern part of the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation near the border with Vosne-Romanée, below Aux Allots. 140/btl 
 
Nuits-Saint-Georges 'Les Herbues’ 
A very small plot located in the southern end of the vineyard. The plot is 0.0293 ha, and is located alongside the RN74. 140/btl
 
Nuits-Saint-Georges 'Les Grandes Vignes' 
From Premeaux, right next to Comte Liger-Belair’s 1er-cru holding. 140/btl
 
Beaune Premier Cru ‘Les Tuvilains’ 
This premier Cru is divided into two blocks either side of a small country road. They are located on the lower slopes of the Côte d'Or escarpment, west-southwest of the town of Beaune itself. 175/btl
 
Aloxe-Corton ‘Les Valozieres’ 
One of the most highly regarded Premier Cru vineyard sites in Aloxe-Corton at the northern end of the Cote de Beaune. The vineyard is at the base of the Corton Grand Cru. 175/btl
 
Corton Grand Cru 'Cuvee Baie par Baie'
Honors Beaune’s only red Grand Cru by labeling it after his berry-by-berry method. An epic wine. 275/btl