Domaine de Montille

Etienne is one of Burgundy's great purists, his long-lived wines may need time but they are some of the most honest and terroir-driven wines in Burgundy. The wines are fermented using all or partial whole bunch vinification depending on the vintage, élévage is long and slow in their cold cellars and percentages of new oak are low, rarely more than 50% even for Malconsorts. From some of the most vivid, intense Beaune's there are to perfumed, stylish Volnays and silky Vosnes Romanee, Etienne makes a borad range of some of Burgundy's most polished wines. The Domaine's policy on white wines is to pick as early as possible, as soon as the fruit has just approached ripeness, resulting in tense, fine wines with alcohols rarely more than 13%.

2017 Vintage

If ever there was a year that de Montille’s penchant for whole bunches would come into its own, then 2017 is it. A vintage of healthy ripe fruit where the whole bunch element adds a bit of bite and snap to the ripe, svelte fruit flavours. In the words of winemaker Brian Sieve “it is a fresh, clean vintage, showing strawberry and raspberry fruit. They are a joy to taste. It is such a good vintage if you controlled Pinot Noir yields.” Interestingly Brian also noted that whilst there were no great extremes of temperature during summer, over the course of the whole year 2017 goes down as the warmest on record. So that explains the early harvest. For the whites de Montille tend to be on the earlier side of the average picking date, preferring to keep a little tension and focus in the wines, so they started picking Chardonnays on the 28th August, reds followed on the 3rd September.

2018 Vintage

2018 was an abundant crop in white, very much key to the freshness in the wines, but less generous in reds which in some cases are "scarce" to use Etienne de Montille's words, particularly in the Côte de Nuits. Malolactic fermentation here was surprisingly late, not finishing until June or July. Slowing down the evolution of the 2018's and not intervening too much during élévage, leaving the wines to gain in finesse and freshness sur lie, which was certainly beneficial in 2018. The large proportion of whole-bunch fermentations the domaine habitually employs has added real snap, energy and chew to this powerful red vintage. As much as the domaine is famed for its Pinots, don't overlook the whites. We have become particularly impressed with these over the last few years. The 2018's, offering tremendous precision and nerve for such a "warm" vintage, are brim-full of terroir character.

2019 Vintage

Etienne de Montille believes 2019 is a vintage that proves Burgundy can fare well in a warm vintage, for despite the record-breaking heatwaves “you don’t feel any adverse effects in the wines,” adding that it was a great surprise for both reds and whites. “If vineyards were managed properly, harvest was at the right time and extractions were not too hard, then you have elegant red wines Burgundy lovers can enjoy. They have great aromas, balance and complexity. More substance than the 2017s but less glycerol than 2018.” Etienne was even more surprised by the white wines for “they retained a level of tension and acidity that we weren’t expecting.” Harvest started in early September, and was quick. Etienne pointed out that the harvest window has been shrinking the last few years. “You now have a week to ten days, compared to two weeks in the old days.” No big developments here other than the continued tendency towards ever lighter extraction, with just one or two light foot-crushings per day, and more precise, flexible use of whole bunch proportions ranging from 50 to 80%. Etienne considers 2019 to be “one of most complete and harmonious vintages, the wines are surprisingly aromatic and ethereal.”

2020 Vintage

Etienne considers 2020 to be awash with “Fantastic wines, full of tension. It is a great vintage for whites, on a par with 2017 but with a little more flesh. Whilst the reds have lovely fruit and balanced alcohols.” Picking early was vital as no rain was forecast and vines were starting to shut down. By the end of August the grapes had all been picked and registered very balanced degrees of 12.8–13.3 for reds and 13–13.5 for whites. Two picking teams of 50 people each were employed to get picking done sharply and exactly when required. Barrel ageing will be extended a little here from 12 to 18 months to soften acidities. The Domaine’s policy of whole bunch fermentation (ranging between 30 to 100%) has given the wines great energy, grip and mouth-feel.

2021 Vintage

Adapting to the vintage conditions, Etienne de Montille and his winemakers, Brian Sieve and Jacques Montagnon, decided to reduce their normally high levels of whole bunch usage in 2021, opting to focus more on the wines’ body than the aromatic qualities whole bunches can bring. The whites, specifically the Meursault parcels were given an even greater proportion of their lees, to help nourish them. Both colours have seen a little less new oak than usual and will be bottled slightly earlier to preserve the freshness of the wines. This is a successful de Montille vintage where the reds have tender tannins and plenty of fruit, while the whites are more structured and intense. Vineyard and village characteristics are clearly displayed throughout.

2022 Vintage

With extensive holdings that span a multitude of appellations, the De Montille team gets a broad and comprehensive look at each vintage. With almost double the wine in the cellar compared with 2021, and some of the finest reds we can remember tasting here, they were understandably content when we visited. “It was a fantastic growing season for us” Nicolas Fontaine remarked. “Lots of water in winter provided us with the reserves for the spring, then timely storms during the summer helped to prevent stress. Some rain in the weeks before harvest helped the final ripening and gave us a great skin to juice ratio in the grapes.” Harvest here started on the 28th August and ran through to the 5th September, with the ensuing vinifications progressing with ease and requiring little extraction bar some pump overs to keep the cap wet.

2023 Vintage

Brian Sieve was justly proud of his 2023 vintage when we visited in November 2024, explaining “Our white pHs are a little lower than last year, while our reds are almost identical, but in each colour the ‘23s have a sense of being crisper and fresher than their 2022 counterparts.” After an early June green harvest, picking started on the 28th August and lasted for 17 days, with a team of 70 Italian pickers harvesting only in the mornings. Using a little less whole bunch than usual, mainly due to a lack of space in the vats, and employing a little saignee on some of the reds, this is an excellent range of De Montille wines, in both colours, with characterful, fresh and nicely-structured reds, and extract-laden, cool-fruited whites. Alcohols top out at 13.2% across the board.