Founded in the mid-18th century, Domaine de Montille is one of the Côte d’Or’s most historic, family-operated estates and an early advocate of domaine-bottling. It is currently run by ninth-generation winemaker Etienne de Montille, who, alongside his father Hubert, has ensured the domaine’s reputation for quality endures today.
Prior to Hubert de Montille’s 50-year tenure, the family sold their vineyards in Musigny, Bonnes Mares and Chambolle-Musigny, shrinking Domaine de Montille from 12 to just 2.5 hectares. Hubert focused on restoring these vineyard holdings, a practice Etienne has since continued. As a result, the domaine now owns 37 hectares of vines across 35 appellations in the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits. These include some remarkable sites, such as Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru `Le Cailleret`, which sits next to ‘Le Montrachet’ Grand Cru, and Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru `Aux Malconsorts’, next to Domaine de la Romani-Conti’s Grand Cru ‘La Tâche’. Etienne was an early advocate of organic farming which he introduced to the domaine’s vineyards in 1995. Biodynamic practices followed in 2005, and the domaine received ‘Ecocert Bio’ certification in 2012.
Before taking over the domaine, Etienne studied oenology and worked as Hubert’s apprentice. Today, he works closely with American-born chef de cave Brian Sieve, who has been with the domaine for over a decade. Together they make wines that are aromatic, supple, and approachable in their youth, yet still offer the impressive capacity for ageing for which Hubert was renowned.
There is no set winemaking recipe at Domaine de Montille. Instead, Etienne and Brian respond to the nuanced characteristics of each vintage. In the red wines, this usually translates to whole-bunch fermentation, ranging from 50% to 100%, though destemming is used when deemed preferable. Macerations last 12 – 16 days, with twice-daily punch downs and judicious use of new French oak, usually 30% or less. In the best vintages, up to 50% new oak is used for the top cuvées.
For the white wines, grapes tend to be picked early to preserve freshness. Ageing takes place in a mix of 228 and 600-litre oak barrels (with little to no bâtonnage) to add texture and complexity. As with the reds, new oak is used sparingly and usually comprises no more than 20 – 25% of the blend. The wines are aged on lees in barrels for 11 – 12 months, before ageing in tank for five to six months before bottling.
Though widely acclaimed for their 1er and Grand Cru wines, Domaine de Montille also produces remarkable Bourgogne Blanc and Rouge. Their Bourgogne Blanc is made by blending younger vines (10 to 20 years old) from their Puligny-Montrachet village sites and ‘Clos du Château de Puligny-Montrachet’. Fermented and then aged for 11 months in a combination of 228-litre and 600-litre French oak barrels, 20% new, this wine perfectly marries a crisp lemon fruit character with a lovely toastiness. The Bourgogne Rouge blends fruit from a Volnay parcel and rare Pinot Noir plots located in Puligny. 33% whole bunch in the ferment produces a delightfully elegant wine with crunchy red fruit character and velvety tannins.
The name of this Grand Cru vineyard in Puligny-Montrachet may well explain itself, by its situation on the hillside. It is – quite simply - the highest. If we refer to medieval society and its hierarchy, this parcel being of the highest placement means it merits the Chevalier title, which is derived from the medieval Latin term caballarius, or "esquire". Chevalier-Montrachet is often considered one of the ultimate references of Chardonnay in the world, the finest of the three principal Grand Crus of this magic hill, along with Montrachet and Bâtard-Montrachet. Our piece of 0.23 hectare is situated on soils with a moderately granular size, dominated by limestone with some ferruginous clay.
The 2021 vintage began with the challenge of severe spring frosts and a threat to potential harvest yields. Vine development continued cautiously, with relatively cool and wet weather throughout July and early August delaying growth patterns. As a result of these conditions, double the usual treatments against mildew pressure were required, demanding exceptional effort from the vineyard team. Harvest volumes declined by an average of 60%, but despite the volume loss, the resulting musts demonstrated outstanding freshness that exceeded all expectations.
The grapes were hand harvested and crushed in pneumatic presses. Fermentation takes place in a mixture of 226 and 600 Litre casks made from Allier wood 40% of which is new. After a year the wines are racked and then spend six months in stainless steel, to preserve tension and freshness before bottling.
This wine has a taut, fresh and delineated nose with notes of pressed white flower, lemon rind, toasted almonds and freshly baked croissant. The palate is balanced, echoing the aromas on the nose, with hyper-focused acidity, a rounded texture and a long, powerful finish.
