The History of a Burgundian Estate Through the Centuries
While its vineyards are mainly concentrated in the Côte de Beaune, the wine estate also cultivates a few vineyards in the Côte de Nuits, producing nearly twenty different appellations.
At the end of the 19th century, the Domaine de Montille bore the brunt of the devastating impact of phylloxera, which in just a few years upended the entire European wine-growing landscape. Several prestigious plots were sold off due to economic considerations, leading to a gradual shrinkage of the vineyard. By the 1950s, the wine estate comprised just three hectares, located primarily in Volnay, surrounding the family home.
It was against this backdrop—with the wine estate’s wine-growing heritage reduced to its bare essentials—thatHubert de Montille, in 1947, harvested his first vintage and began the wine estate’s gradual revival. Production was no longer sold to wine merchants but was instead bottled at the wine estate. Through the acquisition of plots and successive harvests, he gradually established himself as one of the most discerning advocates of the terroirs of the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits, prioritizing elegance and integrity over standardization. His patient and meticulous work helped restore the wine estate’s prestige, while inspiring a generation of Burgundian winemakers to highlight the potential of their terroirs and produce wines with aging potential and authentic expression.
Etienne de Montille joined his father in 1983, before gradually taking over management of the estate beginning in 1995, initiating the transition to organic viticulture. He began the transition to biodynamic winemaking in Burgundy as early as 2005, achieving certification in 2012.
Etienne de Montille: A Balance of Heritage and Innovation
A staunch advocate of biodynamics, Etienne de Montille strives to reveal the pure expression of the terroirs, while preserving their natural finesse and elegance. Under his leadership, the style of the wines has evolved: the sometimes austere tannins of his father’s red wines have given way to a more velvety and precise expression, seeking to reveal the natural elegance of each terroir within a structure suited to long-term aging. He has also left his personal mark: his white wines are now considered among the finest in the Côte de Beaune and contribute significantly to the wine estate’s contemporary reputation.
Étienne de Montille has also strengthened the wine estate’s presence in Burgundy’s finest climats, both in the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits. He has spearheaded the landmark acquisition of prestigious plots such as Puligny-Montrachet Le Cailleret, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, and the Vosne-Romanée plots Les Malconsorts, Clos de Vougeot, and Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru.
A traveler at heart, he launched the Racines Wines project in California in 2016, before breaking new ground in 2019 by planting vines in Hokkaido, Japan. These two daring ventures further his ambition to share the values of the Burgundian terroir beyond national borders.
Winegrowing Inspired by Life
Domaine de Montille boasts a unique heritage, rooted in some of Burgundy’s most prestigious terroirs. The clay-limestone soils, sometimes marly, exhibit subtle variations from one climate to another, which the wine estate strives to reveal in each of its wines. This geological mosaic provides the wine estate with the raw material needed to craft wines that are both rich in character and deeply rooted in their origins.
For Etienne de Montille, viticulture is based on a constant quest for balance and authenticity. A deep respect for natural cycles, meticulous soil management, and the complete exclusion of synthetic chemical treatments: biodynamics, far from being a mere fad, is here a commitment to revealing the terroir in its purest expression, by promoting soil vitality and biodiversity. In the vineyards, pruning is tailored to each plot and each grape variety, while the hand harvest ensures a precise selection of fully ripe grapes—an essential condition for whole-bunch winemaking.
This attention to the vineyard extends into the cellars, where Brian Sieve works to reveal the terroirs in their purest form. Fermentation occurs naturally, without the addition of yeast, in wooden or stainless steel tanks depending on the grape variety and climate. The particularly meticulous ageing process combines the use of French oak barrels—including a variable proportion of new barrels—with careful monitoring of maturation. The ageing period varies but is generally long, allowing the wines to develop complexity, depth, and elegance. These technical choices reflect Domaine de Montille’s commitment to preserving the aromatic purity and harmonious structure of each cuvée, limiting interventions to what is strictly necessary to allow the terroir’s character to fully express itself.
A Hallmark of Excellence
Today, Domaine de Montille embodies the perfect blend of tradition and modernity in the heart of Burgundy. Under the leadershipof Etienne de Montille, the estate has strengthened its reputation by producing renowned wines that faithfully reflect the richness and complexity of iconic terroirs such as Volnay, Meursault, and Puligny Montrachet.
Thanks to a rigorous and respectful approach, the wine estate’s flagship cuvées—such as the Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Cailleret, the Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières, the Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Malconsorts, and the prestigious Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, and Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, demonstrate a subtle balance between elegance, finesse, and power. An icon of passion and excellence.
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