Domaine de Montille

The history of the domaine can be traced all the way back to the mid-eighteenth century, although the name Domaine de Montille did not come into being until the marriage of two people with wonderful names in 1863. Etienne Joseph Marie Léonce Bizouard de Montille and Marie Eléonore Chauvelot de Chevannes. At this point in time the Domaine had a total of 20 hectares made up of some of the region’s very finest vineyards across both Côtes, including the jewel of many vignerons’ eyes, Musigny. Sadly, over the next 100 years or so, for a number of differing reasons, it was gradually downsized to around just 3 hectares, principally in Volnay, where the family home was.

Lawyer, Hubert de Montille, who took over the domaine in the late ‘40s, then reversed this trend and began to acquire and vinify various new plots from other villages. His son, Etienne, who had previously worked in finance, then took on the mantel and, over the past 20 years, has taken the domaine to a new level both in terms of size and reputation.

Today, the domaine totals 35 hectares with some wonderful vineyards outside of Volnay including in Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault and Vosne-Romanée, amongst others. For a number of years now, the domaine has been working biodynamically.

In the cuverie, American Brian Sieve has been the Chef de Cave since 2010. He seems to have a real feel for his métier and there is little doubt that the wines have never been so good. With the biodynamic vines producing superlative grapes since the conversion (it always takes a few years for the change to be tangible), the endless run of excellent vintages with fully phenolically ripe grapes (contrast this with the 1960s and ‘70s) and the know-how of Brian with his beautifully nuanced approach, everything has come together perfectly. In terms of vinification, Brian is a very positive proponent of whole-bunch and is happy to go to 100% should the wine and vintage merit it. Contrastingly, the use of new oak is much more tempered, very rarely jumping above 50%.

 The wines tend to enjoy a second winter in the cellar, to heighten their finesse and length. Extraction is restrained and all the wines are geared to be refined, subtle and terroir-driven.