| Region of production: | Cote d’Or |
| Winery Location: | Volnay |
| Year Established: | 1863 |
Vineyard Holdings
20 ha
- Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru: 0.84 ha Pinot Noir
- Corton Pougets Grand Cru: 0.5 ha Pinot Noir (young vines); 0.5 ha Chardonnay
- Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru: 0.29 ha Pinot Noir (from the Thomas-Moillard purchase)
- Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts Premier Cru: 1.37 ha Pinot Noir (from the Thomas-Moillard purchase)
- Pommard Rugiens Premier Cru: 1.02 ha Pinot Noir
- Pommard Grands Epenots Premier Cru: 0.23 ha Pinot Noir
- Volnay Taillepieds Premier Cru: 1.51 ha Pinot Noir
- Volnay Champans Premier Cru: 0.96 ha Pinot Noir
- Volnay Mitans Premier Cru: 0.73 ha Pinot Noir
- Puligny-Montrachet Le Cailleret Premier Cru: 0.85 ha Chardonnay
Top Wines Produced
- Corton-Charlemagne: from the Chardonnay in Pougets
- Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru
- Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts Premier Cru
- Vosne-Romanée Aux Malconsorts “Cuvée Christiane” Premier Cru: a special bottling named after Hubert’s wife; from the 0.48-ha parcel surrounded by La
- Tâche on two sides.
- Pommard Rugiens Premier Cru
- Pommard Grands Epenots Premier Cru
- Volnay Taillepieds Premier Cru
- Volnay Champans Premier Cru
- Volnay Mitans Premier Cru
- Puligny-Montrachet Le Cailleret Premier Cru
Inaugural Vintages
- domaine-bottling began in 1947
Average Total Production
- 96,000 bottles
Summary
In 1947, Hubert de Montille took over the family domaine at the young age of 17. Although the domaine had been considerably larger in the 19th century, by this point, the family owned just three hectares of vineyards, the rest of the parcels (the likes of Musigny, Bonnes-Mares, Chambolle Les Amoureuses and others) having been sold off through the years by family members who were in need of cash.
Working with such a small domaine then, Hubert continued practicing law, gradually using the profits from his successful, Dijon-based firm to buy up vineyard parcels bit by bit. In 1990, his son Etienne (who had worked as a lawyer in banking), began assisting Hubert. Etienne transitioned the family vineyards to organic farming in 1995, then converted to biodynamics in 2005. In 2003, he and his sister, Alix, also began a négociant company called Deux Montille, which is almost wholly dedicated to producing white wines from purchased grapes; Deux Montille is overseen by Alix, whose background with white wines included stints as winemaker for Alex Gambal and Ropiteau Frères.
In 2005, Etienne negotiated a complicated purchase of the Domaine Thomas-Moillard, splitting that house’s vineyards with Domaine Dujac and thereby increasing the de Montille holdings in both the Côte de Beaune as well as the Côte de Nuits. The expansion continued with the purchase of the Château de Puligny-Montrachet in 2012, which Etienne had managed since 2001 for the bank that owned the property. At the time of writing it is unclear how much of the new vineyards’ production will be bottled under the Château de Puligny-Montrachet label, so all facts and figures below are for Domaine de Montille alone.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Etienne has shifted in style from his father’s wines, which were known for their delicacy and ability to age, but which could be extremely hard and austere in youth (particularly in more challenging vintages). In the vineyards, Etienne lowered yields and picks later, while in the winery he has backed off on extraction, with only two or three pigeages per day during maceration. The red grapes are generally vinified as whole clusters (subject to vintage conditions, e.g. not in 2004). No new oak is used for the regional and village wines, while the premiers crus see up to 30%, and the grands crus and Malconsorts are aged in 50% new oak. The wines are aged in oak for 14-18 months and are generally bottled without fining or filtration.
Producer Website: de Montille