Tasted in Meursault with Gauthier Roussille, 28 November 2016.
Domaine de Montille, Château de Puligny-Montrachet & Maison Deux Montille Soeur Frères
rue de But
21190 Puligny-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 39 14
www.demontille.com
Gauthier on 2016:
“It was a very wet spring, followed by a difficult summer and then a great autumn. It was so dry that rain was really needed – fortunately it came and really benefited the vintage. The mains story was the frost of-course – Chevalier, Caillerets and some Chassagne, though we don’t own much there, the bottom of Volnay was hit and also the Nuits St.Georges, but in the end 2016 looks balanced for both colours.”
Gauthier on 2015:
“2015 warm and dry vintage, it has given us beautiful reds and richer whites, which are good but there’s definitely a stylistic difference versus 2014, despite beginning our harvest in late August (28th), aiming for 12.5°. The reds we began from 1st September. The whites will stay in stainless-steel for another 6 months. There’s actually just 0.1 difference, on average, in pH 2014 versus 2015. If I had 14 and 15 in my cellar I would keep the 14 and drink the 15 as it’s more open.”
Domaine de Montille has practiced organic viticulture since 1995. Today, their wines are certified by Ecocert. Since 2005, there are some additional biodynamic practices.
The wines…
First the whites. Nothing bottled yet – they will start in March. Mainly their elevage was in larger barrels, somewhere from 10-30% new – though that’s effectively less new oak vs 10-30% standard 228l barrels.
2015 Château de Puligny, Bourgogne Clos du Château
5 hectares in front of Château
Fresh, open, some citrus, faintly rich. In the mouth, ripe but fine definition and good layers of citrussy flavour. A great intense finish. This is super!
From 0.67 hectares split between Champs Derrières and Les Houillères.
A fine and mineral nose, suggesting salinity. Bright, direct line, really beautiful, lithe, energetic wine. Bravo!
Grapes coming from Levron, Baudrières-Nosroy plus about 80% from declassified 1er Chalumaux
A silkier nose, yellow citrus. Beautiful detail, this is really excellent, energetic and bright. Long and gorgeous – simply beautiful. And of course better than a villages…
2015 Château de Puligny, St.Aubin 1er En Remilly
Approximately 70-year-old vines, an 1.7 hectares worth too.
An extra depth of aroma on the nose, textured, this nose needs more elevage. The palate is similar to the nose, there’s and odd component that will hopefully fade in extra elevage – but the balance and shape are really lovely.
2015 Château de Puligny, Meursault 1er Porusots
0.63 hectares from near Les Genevrières. It’s the last vintage under the Chateau label – from the 2016 vintage all Meursaults will wear the de Montille label.
A deep note of citrus and faintly spiced notes. A hint of gas, richer, silkier but with a very fine line and intensity of flavour in that line – this needs more time, but I think it will be super.
Only 0.30 hectares, due to the declassifying of the other 0.80 ha.
An agrume reduction – a nose that vibrates. A little too much gas, but it’s fresh and with a super intensity in the mid-palate – really great feeling – long, long… excellent!
2015 Château de Puligny, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Folatières
0.52 hectares, vines between those of Domaines Leflaive and Leroy.
Again a faint reduction, but here with some floral aspects. Rounder but a vibrant flavour, richness but rather sweetly mineral and long. The first wine with a hint of oak in the finish…
2015 Château de Puligny, Chevalier-Montrachet
Vibrant, mineral, faintly sparkled/sprinkled with citrus. Good volume, just a hint diffuse today, but eventually with the best line and intensity of agrume-style flavour. Just a hint understated today, but there’s lots of elevage still to come… however, it still has the longest finish today…
Domaine de Montille whites:
2015 Meursault Narvaux-Dessous
Vines sitting just above Les Genevrières.
A little bit of aromatic vibration, some fresh agrume notes. Supple, a little depth of texture but its of fine, spicy complexity. Not the ultimate acidity of some, but really a nice wine to fall into – yum!
2015 Meursault 1er Les Perrières
0.45 hectares located in the upper part of the vineyard.
A good width of aroma, a few darker reflections – relatively tight. Vibrant, layered, growing waves of intense flavour. This needs more polish from its elevage but this is very tasty indeed. Yum!
Planted in 1993, this 0.85 hectare parcel directly borders Montrachet.
Aromatically finer than the Perrières – more open too – agrume fruit, with citrus reflections – super! Cool across the palate, faint gas, but just a different dimension of mouth-watering flavour – faintly reductive flavours, but not enough to disguise the brilliance of this wine. Bravo!
Purchased in 2004, this 1.02 hectares parcel was originally planted to pinot, sold as Corton-Pougets. In 2005 the higher part of the 35-year-old vineyard was grafted over with chardonnay, and the lower part replanted with chardonnay.
This seems a little less finished. Still there’s a fine, faintly oaky depth and some higher-toned citrus going on. Cool, composed, a very different personality with more bass-notes, but it’s also vibrant, very different and faintly saline. Also great, but drink the Caillerets today if that doesn’t sound too gauche!
Les Rouges…
2015 Château de Puligny, Monthelie
Almost 0.5 hectares. From the 2014 vintage this is a ‘natural’ wine, under 20mg sulfur. Mainly 2-3 year-old barrels normal 228s
A round, strawberry nose, a broad brush nose. Very fresh and of great line and growing intensity. Strawberry notes like the nose suggests. A little finishing bitterness.
The rest all Domaine de Montille:
2015 Beaune 1er Sizies
1.62 hectares – ‘A ‘clay’ wine.’
Deeper colour. Pretty dark red fruit of good focus and precision. Nicely round, a bit of decent structure – some coconut oak peeking through, fresh and mouth-watering finishing. Pretty good wine here. Fine finishing.
0.72 hectares
Round, good intensity, round in shape, with fine focus to the fruit. Big, lots of volume, mouth-watering, slightly opulent until the tannin takes a measure of control. A great finishing, mouth-watering line of flavour. Long, long. Excellent wine!
2015 Volnay 1er Taillepieds
1.51 hectares.
Cushioned rose-petals over red fruit. Fresher more lithe and of line. The tannin sticks out a little more – here is a more serious, structural wine, long, long and intense. Definitely to wait for, but it will be super.
1.02 hectares.
Not the largest in volume but a there’s an aromatic roundness. Fresh, muscled, more weight, more power. More of everything, finishing with some tannin and a long fading fruit. Great but long-term wine. Bravo!
2015 Nuits St.Georges 1er Cru Aux Thorey
De Montille got 5 ha in the Côte de Nuits from Thomas-Moillard, including this Aux Thorey – 0.73 hectare of vines.
Whole-cluster strawberry fruit aroma. Very silky, indeed sexy wine, the texture slowly adds a little tannic dryness, but there’s excellent depth of flavour here. Long and tasty finishing. Also this will need some time but it’s super.
0.84 hectares of vines.
Some high tones over a deeper, tighter fruit. Plenty of tannin here – but very bright, direct and fresh flavour. Serious ‘don’t touch’ wine. But simply excellent!
About 2,000 bottles per year from 0.48 hectares.
Very pretty, faint whole-cluster aromas in a wide inviting complexity. Lovely, depth of flavour and richness of texture, width and faintly saline complexity. Long, long… Great stuff!