Maison De Montille Montagny Les Coeres 1er Cru 2019

The premier cru vineyard of 'Les Coeres' is one of the largest vineyards in the Montagny appellation in terms of surface area. De Montille vinifies fruit from 25-year-old vines at the top of the hill here from seashell-ridden, limestone-centric soils.  Practicing organic and hand-harvesting fruit for many years, the maison strives for excellent quality in both whites and reds.  This white is fermented in neutral barrels so as not to overwhelm the fruit, and there are very low sulfur levels used in the wine.  Aged 15 months in neutral barrels, then aged another 5 months in stainless steel, only 8100 bottles produced. Look for great minerality, citrus fruits and white flower notes.  

Domaine de Montille is among Burgundy's most iconic estates, with a long and fabled history dating back to 1730’s. While the de Montille name is certainly synonymous with the village of Volnay where the family house still sits, the original historic estate consisted of 25 hectares spread throughout the Côte d’Or, including parcels in the famed Grand Crus of Musigny and Bonnes Mares. Unfortunately, the family had to sell off many of these parcels around the phylloxera crisis in order to survive. In fact, by the time Hubert de Montille took over in 1947, the estate was down to a mere 2.5 HA, mostly in Volnay and some in Pommard. Nonetheless, Hubert was passionate about producing wine, and although he also practiced law concurrently for almost 50 years in Dijon, he helped to put the domaine on the map and in the top echelon of Burgundy estates. 

When Hubert took over in the late 1940’s, more than 90% of the wine in Burgundy was sold to négociants. But he was committed to estate-bottling, and pushed for the highest level of quality and purity. The de Montille style of the “Hubert era” was one of classic, structured wines that were built to age. Although he passed away in 2014 at the age of 84, many of the great wines he made during his career continued to drink magnificently, having aged out of their youthful firmness to blossom into the stuff of legends…gorgeous, mature, terroir-driven Burgundies.

Hubert’s son, Etienne, joined the domaine in 1983 and immediately displayed the passion and dedication he had learned from his father. By 1995, he was officially co-managing alongside his father but in charge of most of the day-to-day decisions. Like Hubert, he also had another career during this time, working in investment banking until dedicating himself full time to the domaine in 2001. One of Etienne’s first decisions was to convert the estate to organic farming, starting in 1995. Ten years later, in 2005, they began implementing biodynamic techniques as well, and soon thereafter sought official organic certification, which they earned in 2012. Today, they continue to farm their entire vineyard holdings biodynamically, and like many top vignerons in the region, are committed to the long-term health of their soils and vines. In Etienne's words, "biodynamic farming requires us to be aware of the life cycle of the plants and to embrace energies we cannot explain. We employ biodynamic techniques as a way to support and stimulate the vines, but organic farming is the foundation of what we do." 

Today, the domaine’s holdings total 35 HA, of which 20 HA are in 1er and Grand Cru vineyards, combined with 5 HA of top village wines, and 10 HA of Bourgogne Rouge and Blanc. Among their premier crus are a small handful of top terroirs -- Grèves, Taillepieds, Rugiens-Bas, and Cailleret -- deemed by Etienne (and many others) to be "Grand Premier Crus" and he makes this clear by listing the vineyard name above the appellation/village on these labels. The estate holdings are also supplemented by petit négociant activity started in 2003. Originally called DEuxMontilles, it is now known as Maison de Montille. The goal of the project is to isolate small, interesting and somewhat undervalued terroirs from throughout the entire Burgundy region, in fact, all the way from Chablis in the north down to Pouilly-Fuissé in the south. The wines are produced with the same care and attention as the Domaine wines, and reflect the same stylistic preferences of all the other wines.