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  • Volnay's Dynmaic Duo: D'Angerville & De Montille D'Angerville

    Volnay's Dynmaic Duo: D'Angerville & De Montille D'Angerville

    Volnay and its high limestone content sit in rare company with Chambolle-Musigny as one of Burgundy's most ethereal and delicate examples of Pinot Noir. Looking at the duo of D'Angerville and De Montille we're at the apex of what's proven possible here over many decades. While there may be no Grand Crus in the village, savvy collectors know these top Premier Crus transform and go the long haul as well as nearly anything from the Côte de Nuits.

    Pronounced structure and tightly-coiled mineral tension make D'Angerville and De Montille perfect domaines to stash in the cellar, yet each has a more open-knit style than has been standard in the past. Today's list covers 2016 through 1985.

    D'Angerville's protocol on excluding punchdowns and relying solely on pumpovers for fermentation give these wines a plush and soft-fruited personality that meshes brilliantly with the chalky terroir of Volnay. This combo brings enough slight austerity to make these both delicious and supremely thought-provoking.

    De Montille has always been associated with whole cluster ferments, and, in turn, that elevated exotic spice component and stemmy crunch had made these famous for their fortress-like persona of the Hubert de Montille  era. As son Etienne has taken over, these past decades have been moving to round their structure out a bit and provide an earlier drinking window. The style here is not a huge shift from one generation to the next as much as it is simply keen on allowing wines to offer more joy and expression in the early-going.
    Posted by Alexander Rosen
  • de Montille 1985 thru 2016: Volnay, Pommard, & Vosne Romanée

    de Montille 1985 thru 2016: Volnay, Pommard, & Vosne Romanée

    The red Burgundies of Domaine de Montille still stand among the great wines of terroir from both the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits. They were once famed for their sturdiness and unwavering authenticity of place that perfectly mirrored its vigneron, Hubert de Montille who revived his family's vineyards in 1947. Hubert passed away in 2014 at the age of 84, fittingly with a glass of 1999 Rugiens in hand. Today, that iconic cuvée now bears his name. Son, Etienne, has long since been responsible for the reds, and while they are as soulful as ever they have found ways to become much more accessible in youth.

    Today, I'm very happy to offer the 2016 release from Domaine de Montille, along with a nice collection of back-vintage wines stretching through 1985.

    Whereas whole cluster fermentation was often the calling card of this domaine (50-100% always), there has been a slow decrease for some cuvées in this regard. Now 30% whole cluster ferments are common for many wines, with Taillepieds seeing 100%, Malconsorts and Mitans seeing 66%. Maceration time has also been reduced over the last several vintages, from 20 days now to about 17 days. A move to pick earlier to preserve acidity has also been put in place to combat rising temperatures.

    New oak is relatively modest here given the top tier vineyards in play - cuvées like Malconsorts and Rugiens see 60% and 40%, respectively.

    Personally, over the last few vintages I've seen the wines show a brightness and fresher personality. No doubt my reading on this derives from the common saline tone on the finish that's a lovely counter to the sweet brown spices and ripe red and black primary fruits on the mid palate.   
    Posted by Alexander Rosen

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