Domaine de Montille

The heart of this cuvée is a Volnay Bourgogne lieu-dit, Les Longbois, and various parcels around Puligny. The nose is deliciously expressive, with lots of raspberry and strawberry fruit; only the slightly chew y tannins indicate that this is not a village wine. But that is not a criticism; well-made Bourgogne is a great litmus test for a domaine ’s abilities, and this receives the same amount of care as every other wine in the De Montille portfolio. Drink 2018-2022.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Domaine de Montille was developed by Hubert de Montille (1930-2014), a prominent Dijon lawyer, who inherited 2.5 hectares of vineyards in Volnay in 1947. Over the years he acquired further parcels in Volnay, Pommard and Puligny-Montrachet Les Caillerets. Today the business is run by his son Étienne who has extended the domaine by purchases of vineyards in Beaune, Corton and the Côte de Nuits, including some marvellous Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically and the red wines are increasingly vinified with whole bunches. Following the splendid successes here in 2015, this vintage provides a contrast in style, but with reasons to buy that are just as compelling. Volumes are down in certain appellations and winemaking has been tempered to release more of the vintage’s purity of fruit and definition of terroir. Use of whole bunches for the reds continues, but not by rote, with proportions being adjusted according to each cuvée’s requirements.

This comes from the five hectares immediately in front of the château, a park until it was planted in 1986. Brian did not use any SO2 until after the malolactic fermentation, and the wine is only aged in minimum 500-litre barrels. The whites are very good at this address this year, with this a lovely, juicy and pulpy introduction to the range. Drink 2020-2024.

Winemaker Brian Sieve draws comparisons between the white wines of 2017 and 2014, explaining that the texture, weight and freshness are very similar in both years, although 2017 has perhaps a little more fruit ripeness, along with excellent tension and persistence. He believes that this same freshness and brightness in the reds will provide ageing capacity, pointing out that they worked hard to restrict the yield of Pinot Noir to achieve riper grapes. Overall slightly less whole-bunch fermentation was used as Brian felt the stems and fruit were not as ripe as in richer vintages.

One third whole-bunch vinified, for the old vines, this is dense purple, with deep raspberry fruit. The wine displays a crunchy, fresh, mineral finish, reflecting the limestone content of the soil here, with some tannins neatly framed by the fruit.

Étienne de Montille began picking whites on 10th and reds on 13th September, relatively early. Despite the hail (worst in Pommard than Beaune, Volnay less) yields were slightly improved compared to 2013. The fruit was clean with small berries, and beautiful clusters, so they were able to continue with their usual programme of whole-bunch vinification in most instances. The details are given for each wine. They will be long lived wines.

Raised 50/50 in 600ltr and 228ltr barrels, with 15% new oak. Pale lemon in colour, the initial nose has much promise, with a lovely touch of noble reduction. A blend of Casse Têtes and Petits Charrons, the palate has an enjoyable chewiness and a touch of peach fruit. There is lovely weight here, nice volume and texture in the mouth, but with tension and nervy freshness. Drink 2019-2024.  
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

A cuvée which has been moved over from the Château de Puligny, and Brian explained that he took the decision to retain more lees than in its previous guise, resulting in a wine with more body and a more reductive aromatic profile. Raised 50/50 in 600ltr and 228ltr barrels, there is wonderful density here and significant mineral complexity. Drink 2020-2025.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

Les Perrières is the vineyard always offered to be Meursault’s Grand Cru, if the village was to have one. De Montille refers to it as a “Grand” Premier Cru. It is the most mineral of the village’s Premiers Crus and so works very well in 2016. It’s hard to read from barrel, but there is clear grip and finesse on the palate, intense and concentrated, with no undue weight. It came under the De Montille banner in 2012. Drink 2020-2025.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Domaine de Montille was developed by Hubert de Montille (1930-2014), a prominent Dijon lawyer, who inherited 2.5 hectares of vineyards in Volnay in 1947. Over the years he acquired further parcels in Volnay, Pommard and Puligny-Montrachet Les Caillerets. Today the business is run by his son Étienne who has extended the domaine by purchases of vineyards in Beaune, Corton and the Côte de Nuits, including some marvellous Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically and the red wines are increasingly vinified with whole bunches. Following the splendid successes here in 2015, this vintage provides a contrast in style, but with reasons to buy that are just as compelling. Volumes are down in certain appellations and winemaking has been tempered to release more of the vintage’s purity of fruit and definition of terroir. Use of whole bunches for the reds continues, but not by rote, with proportions being adjusted according to each cuvée ’s requirements.

When purchased in 2004, the vineyard was planted with Pinot Noir but, being southeast facing and with a light and slightly gravelly soil, it was felt it would be a better suited to Chardonnay. Nevertheless, a vineyard capable of ripening red grapes will endow a white wine with a certain opulence and, against the stricter style from Corton-Charlemagne round the hill towards Pernand, this is veritably exotic. The vineyard wasn’t frosted and the wine is positive and direct. Drink 2020-2027.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Domaine de Montille was developed by Hubert de Montille (1930-2014), a prominent Dijon lawyer, who inherited 2.5 hectares of vineyards in Volnay in 1947. Over the years he acquired further parcels in Volnay, Pommard and Puligny-Montrachet Les Caillerets. Today the business is run by his son Étienne who has extended the domaine by purchases of vineyards in Beaune, Corton and the Côte de Nuits, including some marvellous Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically and the red wines are increasingly vinified with whole bunches. Following the splendid successes here in 2015, this vintage provides a contrast in style, but with reasons to buy that are just as compelling. Volumes are down in certain appellations and winemaking has been tempered to release more of the vintage’s purity of fruit and definition of terroir. Use of whole bunches for the reds continues, but not by rote, with proportions being adjusted according to each cuvée’s requirements.

One third of Les Rugiens undergoes whole-cluster vinification. Medium to deep purple, the nose is laden with ripe, cherry fruit and only a touch of spice. Very appealing, there is a huge wealth of fruit on the palate, spectacular quality and lovely, fine-grained tannins. This shows the nobility of the terroir, with no indications of hail.

Étienne de Montille began picking whites on 10th and reds on 13th September, relatively early. Despite the hail (worst in Pommard than Beaune, Volnay less) yields were slightly improved compared to 2013. The fruit was clean with small berries, and beautiful clusters, so they were able to continue with their usual programme of whole-bunch vinification in most instances. The details are given for each wine. They will be long lived wines.

Sixty-six percent whole-bunch and 25 percent new wood, the resulting wine is very dense purple. The nose is ultra-concentrated with a feeling of nutty density. Really tightly wound, the potential here is huge, with amazing density. It is the best wine that we have tasted from this vineyard. Drink 2020-2028.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

This is a vintage to buy from Domaine de Montille without hesitation, whether it be the Bourgogne Rouge, a Grand Cru or indeed anything in between, such as his marvellous Volnays and Pommards. The whites are very smart, too. In common with other vignerons, Etienne and his cellar master, Brian Sieve, have opted for a higher proportion of whole bunches this year. The grapes were picked between 1st and 5th September, with alcohol levels coming in below 13 percent.

A dense medium purple colour, with a rich coating of dark velvety fruit, this 2015 is 85 percent whole-bunch with 33 percent new wood, a little bit of which shows on the nose. The firm, youthful finish suggests a good future for this wine. Drink 2020-2028.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

This is a vintage to buy from Domaine de Montille without hesitation, whether it be the Bourgogne Rouge, a Grand Cru or indeed anything in between, such as his marvellous Volnays and Pommards. The whites are very smart, too. In common with other vignerons, Etienne and his cellar master, Brian Sieve, have opted for a higher proportion of whole bunches this year. The grapes were picked between 1st and 5th September, with alcohol levels coming in below 13 percent.

The first vineyard to be picked, this is pale yellow in colour, with an orange blossom nose that is ripe and charming. Some stony elements appear underneath the floral notes. There is good acidity to the finish and certainly persistence. Drink 2019-2026.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

This is a vintage to buy from Domaine de Montille without hesitation, whether it be the Bourgogne Rouge, a Grand Cru or indeed anything in between, such as his marvellous Volnays and Pommards. The whites are very smart, too. In common with other vignerons, Etienne and his cellar master, Brian Sieve, have opted for a higher proportion of whole bunches this year. The grapes were picked between 1st and 5th September, with alcohol levels coming in below 13 percent.

White Wine Of The Vintage
In the last three years this has been outstanding, and in this vintage it is of Grand Cru quality. On the palate it is pure Puligny, exploding with rich but perfectly focussed ripe, slightly exotic fruit. This is a wine of great style. (David Jones, Fine Wine Sales Advisor)

This Puligny-Montrachet wine was one of the stars of Berrys’ tasting trip to Burgundy in November. De Montille’s Caillerets has some quite exotic flavours at the front but still maintains its sense of refinement in combination with an amazingly intense middle palate and a scintillating finish. This is very complete and should age very well indeed.
(Jasper Morris MW, BBR Burgundy Buyer)

Vinification with the stems gives these wines a notable character on the nose, with floral, spice and rose petals all coming to the fore, and an impressive density on the palate. This is a very graceful wine, and the finish shows a touch of tannin to maintain structure.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

Domaine de Montille picked between the 18th and 26th September in 2010. The red wines, made by American Brian Sieve (one of two winemakers in this catalogue born in Indianapolis!) under the surveillance of Etienne de Montille, now show a consistency of style and quality that perhaps was not entirely there a few years ago. The whites are the responsibility of Etienne’s sister Alix and maintain the class of recent times. Together they have produced a fine result in 2010.

Clear, bright and glowing purple this seductive looking Volnay from Domaine de Montille does not disappoint. Very fine, soft and elegant fruit in the foreground is followed by fruit that builds steadily on the palate and keeps going all the way through.

Showing a brambly, briary nose, this Corton from Domaine de Montille has a huge wealth of fruit on the palate, tremendous length and a seductively persistent aftertaste.

With a fine pale colour and beautiful, chiselled nose this is a fine Puligny-Montrachet. Very faint pineapple lends a more exotic touch and a lovely fresh finish all in superb harmony.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

Domaine de Montille picked between the 18th and 26th September in 2010. The red wines, made by American Brian Sieve (one of two winemakers in this catalogue born in Indianapolis!) under the surveillance of Etienne de Montille, now show a consistency of style and quality that perhaps was not entirely there a few years ago. The whites are the responsibility of Etiennes sister Alix and maintain the class of recent times. Together they have produced a fine result in 2010.

Displaying fractionally more colour than the other Pommards and with a notable intensity of fruit from the start, this is a really fine wine. It begins gracefully, moves into the sumptuous, bursting with ripe cherries, before stretching out marvellously to a long silky finish.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

Domaine de Montille picked between the 18th and 26th September in 2010. The red wines, made by American Brian Sieve (one of two winemakers in this catalogue born in Indianapolis!) under the surveillance of Etienne de Montille, now show a consistency of style and quality that perhaps was not entirely there a few years ago. The whites are the responsibility of Etienne’s sister Alix and maintain the class of recent times. Together they have produced a fine result in 2010.

This is less obviously floral in character though this element is still quite prominent on the discreet spicy aromas of plum, dark raspberry and sandalwood nuances. There is an equally sleek mouth feel to the broad-shouldered and muscular flavors that possess an exquisite sense of underlying tension and plenty of minerality, all wrapped in a firm, cool, linear and built-to-age finale. I very much like the complexity and the persistence is most impressive.
Allen Meadows, Burghound, April 2015

Bright purple, smooth, rich, this fills out in the middle and the back, with dark ripe fruit, very fine quality tannins and excellent persistence. Fruit swarms back at the finish. Really good plant material here apparently. It certainly tastes that way.
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

Harvest began during the last week in September and finished just before the storm. There was less whole bunch vinification for the wines affected by hail, but Volnay Taillepieds, Pommard Rugiens, Corton Clos du Roi and the wines from the Côte de Nuits were all predominantly vinified with their stems.

Domaine de Montille is a first-class Côte de Beaune domaine and one which is producing some of the purest expressions of Pinot Noir to be found in Burgundy today. The domaine was developed by Hubert de Montille, a prominent Dijon lawyer, who inherited 2.5 hectares of vineyards in Volnay in 1951 and most of the production was sold in bulk to négociants. Over the years he acquired further parcels in Volnay, as well as four hectares in Pommard, taking his total holdings to just short of 17 hectares. Today the property is run by his son Etienne.

With a clear, bright, pale colour, this is very elegant. With a little touch of liquorice, it is quite classy. This really broadens out on the palate, with a lovely citrus touch and a future nuttiness. Promising, with volume waiting to develop.

A fine site, running north from Le Montrachet and can, in the right hands, be considered better than wines like Btard-Montrachet. And these are the right hands. From 2009.

Medium deep purple, with a very sensual nose and impressive density too. Very appealing with great length to it, a lively rose petal fragrance. From the whole bunches, and a superb long finish. A Corton of great beauty.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

This great domaine has grown even further with the acquisition of some vineyards, such as Meursault Perrières, to enhance the white wine range, vinified by Alix de Montille. The reds continue the progress seen in recent years from the team led by Etienne de Montille with the assistance of cellarmaster Brian Sieve. All the top wines are vinified with 100% whole bunches which defines the very perfumed style of the domaine’s wines

The de Montille holding is in the favoured, lower part of this vineyard. Bright pink-purple in colour, with richer, ripe fruit here, delivering a great intensity of dense red flavours. The tannins are prominent, as they should be for Rugiens, but not discordant. This is for the long term.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

This great domaine has grown even further with the acquisition of some vineyards, such as Meursault Perrières, to enhance the white wine range, vinified by Alix de Montille. The reds continue the progress seen in recent years from the team led by Etienne de Montille with the assistance of cellarmaster Brian Sieve. All the top wines are vinified with 100% whole bunches which defines the very perfumed style of the domaine’s wines

This has a beautifully enticing mix of strawberry and raspberry notes along with a touch of violets and similar succulent red fruit on the palate. Exceptionally stylish for Pommard, this is a great result for the domaine.

Whole bunches are down to 66 percent here (versus 100 percent for the rich, structured 2015); new oak was maintained at 50 percent. The wine has an exceptional perfume; energetic, pure and dark. There is also very good structure on the palate – not too dense as this vineyard can sometimes be. The vintage's precision is especially evident in this wine. Drink 2022-2027.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Domaine de Montille was developed by Hubert de Montille (1930-2014), a prominent Dijon lawyer, who inherited 2.5 hectares of vineyards in Volnay in 1947. Over the years he acquired further parcels in Volnay, Pommard and Puligny-Montrachet Les Caillerets. Today the business is run by his son Étienne who has extended the domaine by purchases of vineyards in Beaune, Corton and the Côte de Nuits, including some marvellous Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically and the red wines are increasingly vinified with whole bunches. Following the splendid successes here in 2015, this vintage provides a contrast in style, but with reasons to buy that are just as compelling. Volumes are down in certain appellations and winemaking has been tempered to release more of the vintage’s purity of fruit and definition of terroir. Use of whole bunches for the reds continues, but not by rote, with proportions being adjusted according to each cuvée’s requirements.

It was a freak year for this vineyard. The vines are 65 years old, on small, sharp gravel over limestone, and what was produced was superb. The domaine has vines above and below the small road dividing the vineyard. The frost wiped out everything on the lower vines, gave only 40 percent in the middle, but gave twice the usual yield at the top – an extraordinary event. Huge levels of ripeness were achieved, nothing was de-stemmed and 30 percent new wood used for a wine that is as exceptional historically as it is qualitatively. A lighter extraction was used this year for a highly perfumed, yet gracefully structured wine. Drink 2022-2035.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Domaine de Montille was developed by Hubert de Montille (1930-2014), a prominent Dijon lawyer, who inherited 2.5 hectares of vineyards in Volnay in 1947. Over the years he acquired further parcels in Volnay, Pommard and Puligny-Montrachet Les Caillerets. Today the business is run by his son Étienne who has extended the domaine by purchases of vineyards in Beaune, Corton and the Côte de Nuits, including some marvellous Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically and the red wines are increasingly vinified with whole bunches. Following the splendid successes here in 2015, this vintage provides a contrast in style, but with reasons to buy that are just as compelling. Volumes are down in certain appellations and winemaking has been tempered to release more of the vintage’s purity of fruit and definition of terroir. Use of whole bunches for the reds continues, but not by rote, with proportions being adjusted according to each cuvée’s requirements.

Fortunately situated for the 2016 frosts, the vines to the top of Champans gave twice the volume of the lower vines, which live on more clay-rich soil, and where the humidity had a greater influence. The De Montille vines, especially the older ones, have yielded a rich and generously proportioned wine, with an accent more on dark than red fruit. Drink 2020-2027.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Domaine de Montille was developed by Hubert de Montille (1930-2014), a prominent Dijon lawyer, who inherited 2.5 hectares of vineyards in Volnay in 1947. Over the years he acquired further parcels in Volnay, Pommard and Puligny-Montrachet Les Caillerets. Today the business is run by his son Étienne who has extended the domaine by purchases of vineyards in Beaune, Corton and the Côte de Nuits, including some marvellous Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically and the red wines are increasingly vinified with whole bunches. Following the splendid successes here in 2015, this vintage provides a contrast in style, but with reasons to buy that are just as compelling. Volumes are down in certain appellations and winemaking has been tempered to release more of the vintage’s purity of fruit and definition of terroir. Use of whole bunches for the reds continues, but not by rote, with proportions being adjusted according to each cuvée’s requirements.