Tasted with Xavier in Meursault, 15 March 2021.
Domaine Xavier Monnot
6 rue Docteur Rolland
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 21 29 32
More reports for Xavier Monnot
I’ve tasted some very good wines from Xavier in the last years so eventually managed to make an appointment with him to learn more. Tucked away in the centre of Meursault, well-hidden but everything is here, this is no small domaine; ~17 hectares in important vineyards around Meursault but others too. You may have previously come across the same vines under the name of Domaine René Monnier – Xavier’s grandfather – the label changed to Xavier Monnot in 2005.
Xavier explained, “It’s a family domaine and I’ve been working here since 1994. My grandfather was René Monnier and it was he that began some domaine bottling. With his wife they bought a number of parcels of vines – they weren’t so expensive then! My grandfather then worked with my father and his wife – many of the domaines vines came from my mother’s side of the family.
“We work as naturally as possible but I don’t like ‘labels’ – it’s the same in the barrel cellar too. I don’t like to harvest too early – I want juicy but with, at the same time, ripe fruit. I want my wines to age but I want to drink them early too – I’m not monastic! I think almost riesling style wines here – but that’s the diversity of Burgundy. We’ve a team of five for the cuverie and the vines. Today it’s export that’s the main outlet for the domaine – in the last months it’s been going okay – it could be better but in the current climate I really can’t complain.”
Xavier on 2019:
“Everything was bottled in December – except the Bourgogne, which was done before the harvest. It’s very easy to make a heavy wine and 2019 is a warm vintage but I like the vintage very much. The grapes and the viticulture together meant that we could benefit from what little rain there was.”
The wines…
A very classy range of wines here – a range that I’d be happy to get to know better. Some great wines for their labels included.
All the wines here are sealed with cork, Xavier explains, “I’m not a fan of DIAM. I always think that I can sense the closure when I taste the wines.” The bottles have all been sealed with a grey/blue wax since 2017/2018 too:
2019 Bourgogne Chardonnay Les Grandes Coutures
Elevage for this is mainly the same as all the other wines, except with 85% older barrels – 3-5 years – and with some larger-format barrels too.
A wide nose – a little barrel spice and warm depth. Mouth-filling – lovely energy and depth of flavour. Fleshy, mouth-watering. Delicious, moderately-oaked wine with a lovely finishing impression. A super finish – that’s very good.
2019 Monthelie Les Duresses
Villages vines bought in the 1990s and replanted in 1998 – so still young vines. Opposite the lavoir…
A little waft of oak but then a fine and pure fruit too – lovely clarity here. Vibrant, mineral, growing with a mouth-watering crescendo of flavour. Obviously for keeping a while but I like the direction of flavour here – that’s super and very mineral.
0.24 ha bought in 1999, close to the quarry – so a hillside wine.
Less weight of aroma but more open and airy – that’s very attractive with lovely clarity. Excellent – there’s attack, plenty of freshness but also a fleshy depth of flavour too. Faintly with a firework reduction in the middle flavours – broad and concentrated finishing – that’s a great villages!
2019 Puligny-Montrachet
5 ouvrées (0.215 ha) of nearly 70-year-old vines planted by grandfather.
A narrow but deep nose – good clarity of aroma at the base. Supple, there’s concentration but also a nicely bubbling, modestly energetic insinuation of flavour. Wide, a little mineral – and certainly concentrated. I find this another very good wine…
2019 Meursault Limozin
A mix of 50 and 70-year-old vines.
A nose that reminds me of the Bourgogne but with extra freshness and clarity – it’s lovely. Hmm – now that’s lovely – a certain tension here, properly Meursault spiced but with a blend of concentration and tension that is addictive. Excellent, possibly great villages!
2.5 ha in one block – 3 different geological sectors and 8 different vine ages – rows of 400m – there’s a barrel for each row!
Airy, pure, very faintly accented with spice – not a forward nose, but an attractive one. Ooh – that’s a bright, pure, mineral wine – wait 1-2 years for the, admittedly modest, oak accompaniment to fade. A great finish – drink the Limozin while waiting for this…
2019 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er En Remilly
Young vines, Xavier’s mother rents them from within the family. Father planted these vines in 1975, the second harvest after replanting. Yellow marne here. Enough for 4 barrels normally.
A nice clarity of fruit, slightly exotic in this vintage. There’s a personality here though – direct, mineral – it resembles the Chevalières but with more concentration but currently with less precision – less marked by the barrel today than the last – not quite as long but delicious – baby vines but a super wine.
2019 Meursault 1er Les Charmes
1.20 ha – a large producer for here, vines towards the bottom opposite Combettes, Referts and Puligny-Charmes.
A width of aroma, very Meursault, faintly and additionally spiced with a little barrel – it’s a great invitation. Very mineral – there’s concentration but despite not too overt energy there’s also tension here – blind you wouldn’t place this as the bottom half of the vineyard – really excellent Charmes – I love…
2019 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Folatières
Vines between Chartron and Pernot above the trees, bought by Xavier’s grandmother in 1978 after already working the parcel for 10 years. Made exactly like the previous wines.
This nose starts tight but opens wider and wider with florals and a little mineral depth. The minerality of Chevalières but in this case it’s a width of aroma rather direct. Supple and nicely textured – always finely mouth-watering and properly juicy. That a really excellent Folatières and completely delicious – splendid wine!
The only contract white in range – starting as 1 barrel as an exchange of grapes with a friend. Now Xavier two friends, so this is a blend of Aloxe and Pernand grapes.
Ooh – that’s quite an explosive burst of aroma – very impressive the florals of the Folatières with an extra power. Wow – depth, intensity, growing in mineral width, melting – such an impressive depth of flavour here. Vibrant finishing too – Charlemagne can be austere, but not here, bravo!
Les Rouges:
A triage table in the vines then again at the cuverie… “Some places I add a little whole cluster too – usually the warmer places:”
Vines between Volnay and Meursault – a contract for the grapes here. Had some regional but it was so badly affected by the frost of 2016 that replanted with chardonnay. Mainly tank elevage with a small addition of barrels.
The nose is deep, dark, a little spicy – aeration is the friend of this wine – it gets better and better in the glass. Super texture – direct and silky – a little shimmer of tannin – super texture at the end too – that’s a sophisticated wine. More than excellent Bourgogne.
Part on cordon royat – old vines – the rest with a Guyot pruning – the latter more masculine but juicy.
That’s a really open nose – energy and with a floral accent to the fruit too. Bright – wide, completely mouth-filling – directly bravo, sophisticated Maranges – layered and full of delicious energy.
2019 Beaune 1er Cent Vignes
Concentrated ripe fruit but with fresh energy at the same time – a big wine is the impression here. Supple, wide, a little granular tannin – but just an accent – long, slow decay of flavour in the finish. Long, almost hauntingly airy finish. That’s simply excellent wine.
2019 Pommard Les Vignots
South-facing above Les Charmots near Platière – 75% from the 1950s, the rest a recent plantation (2013)
Plenty of colour. Deep, dark fruit that’s spiced and fresh. Wide – there’s impact and energy here – sucrosity and energy – a small layer of tannin at the base – long, slowly mouth-watering, faintly saline too – the last impression is mineral. Excellent!
2019 Beaune 1er Les Toussants
Plenty of young vines in this cuvée, a little whole cluster too.
A little more oak-spice is visible in this wider nose – but nicely complex and inviting. Bright – extra freshness, so mouth-watering. The finish is fuller, more structural and slightly tannic but no grain. Always with a freshness of flavour – keep this back a couple of years – it’s very good.
2019 Volnay 1er Clos des Chenes
Oldest vines from 1936 here.
A nose that needs some swirling but it grows in the glass – starting with a depth of darker fruit, slowly filling with a little higher-toned violet aromas. Mouth-filling – the freshness of the last with more depth of texture – velvet – a supple rub of tannin in this texture but there’s no grain here. Slowly, very slowly fading. Here’s another very sophisticated wine – I like it very much.