Domaine H. de MONTILLE -- 2013s from Cask and a Couple of 2012s from Bottle

 Domaine H. de MONTILLE (Volnay-Meursault)

While I was in Burgundy, but before I visited the estate, Hubert de Montille died at age 84. As all the commentaries have noted, he died the way he probably would have wanted to go – at an event in Alsace celebrating his contributions to wine, he had a heart attack and just slumped over with a glass of his 1999 Pommard-Rugiens in hand.

I don’t think that one can overestimate the role that he played in Burgundy, keeping alive the tradition of great wine in the 1970s when there wasn’t that much of it being made in Burgundy, inspiring a generation of young winemakers by the purity of his wines and his refusal to compromise his standards. He would not eschew chaptalization completely, but as his goal was only 12º alcohol, he chaptalized much less than others. And he was willing to make wines that required fifteen or even twenty years of aging because he had a clientele that was educated and sophisticated enough to know that their patience would be rewarded.

In addition to his feats in the world of wine, Hubert was one of the most distinguished French lawyers of his generation.

I feel privileged to have known Hubert for more than twenty years and to have shared a number of meals with him and other members of his family. Fortunately, my cellar contains a number of bottles of his wine, and I shall think of him each time I open one.

2013s  from Cask

Brian Sieve, who has been making the wines at de Montille for several years, said that harvesting started on September 29 with the whites and finished on October 6 or 7. Chaptalization was 1º pretty much across the board. Whole clusters were used as indicated below. Some malolactic fermentations were still ongoing when I visited on November 6.

2013 Bourgogne  Pinot Noir

This wine comes from the parcel in Volnay that has historically produced the de Montille Bourgogne and two other parcels in Puligny-Montrachet that are just across the route nationale from the village. What I tasted was only 2/3 of the final blend, as the rest was still in malolactic fermentation. The grapes were entirely destemmed here and 10% new oak was used on the wine. The wine is smooth and pure with red cherry fruit, medium weight, good concentration, and sensuality. (86-89)

2013 Volnay  1er Cru – Mitans

The vines here are about 45 years old. The wine is 100% whole cluster fruit and 25% new oak. Brian Sieve said that the berries were so small and gave so little fruit that one would have thought the vines were 75 years old instead of 45. The wine is smooth, dark, and voluptuous with more body here than in the Bourgogne and structure that comes form the acidity. (89-93)

2013 Volnay 1er Cru – Taillepieds

There was more hail here than in the Mitans and the clusters were tighter, so only 1/3 whole clusters were used for this wine. 25% new oak. The nose has coffee/reduction aromas. The mouth is round for Taillepieds and does not show the usual marked structure. The texture is smooth and the wine is long, but it lacks its usual dimension, even though it is still a good wine. (88-92)

2013 Pommard 1er Cru – Rugiens bas

The hail here reduced the crop by about 50%. No whole clusters were used and about 40% new oak. The smoky nose has some Rugiens typicity. The mouth shows a smooth texture and red fruits that are very fresh and crunchy. The wine has some concentration, but it is also flowing and deep. (89-93)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Aux Thorey

About 2/3 whole cluster fruit here and 50% new oak. The wine shows good concentration, depth, and red and dark fruit that is crunchy and fresh. A bit of spice here, too. The vineyard is at the southern end of the Vosne slope of Nuits and was rated very highly by Dr. Lavalle in his 1855 ranking of the vineyards. (90-94)

2013 Corton-Clos-du-Roi

Fifty percent new oak here, 2/3 whole clusters. The nose is earthy, closely resembling the nose typical of neighboring Corton-Bressandes. The mouth is almost sweet from the fruit and the wine has a medium-weight body with smoothness. It lacks a bit of the usual concentration but shows class. (89-92)

2013 Clos-Vougeot

Forty percent new oak here and 2/3 whole clusters. The wine is smooth with red fruits and lacks a little focus and concentration, but it shows some structure. I wouldn’t be surprised if this wine shows better later from bottle. (88-91)

2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru – Aux Malconsorts

This wine shows spices in the nose. The mouth is intense and deep with red and dark fruit and spices, a good velvet texture, length, and some structure. There are tannins on the finish to assure aging. This is a step above the previous wines. Fifty percent new oak, 2/3 whole clusters here. About 11½ or 12 barrels of this wine were made. (91-95)

2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru – Aux Malconsorts  cuvée Christianne

This wine is made from a portion of Malconsorts bordered on two sides by La Tâche. The nose is darker here than in the previous wine, but the spices are less evident. In the mouth, the wine is medium-weight and sensual with a velvet texture, some structure, and more penetration than the previous wine. There is a slight sappiness to the quality of the fruit and tannins show on the finish. It should be outstanding with some aging. Fifty percent new oak, 2/3 whole clusters. Eight barrels made. (92-96)

2013 Meursault 1er Cru – Perrières

The nose here is floral. The mouth is smooth and not dense and the Perrières tension does not come through. The flavors for the moment are grapefruit. This is a very nice wine, but if you are looking for Perrières terroir, it is not the wine for you. No or minimal hail damage here. (90-93)

2013 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru – Le Cailleret

This wine is a better expression of terroir for me. The nose is fine and pure. The mouth is elegant, fine, pure and sensual with some minerality. (92-96)

2013 Corton-Charlemagne

The nose here is floral. The wine is round in the mouth with finesse and good depth, but not a lot of tension. The finesse and lack of tension make it atypical for Corton-Charlemagne, but it is a highly enjoyable wine, nonetheless. 15-20% new oak on this wine. Half the vines are from red vines regrafted to white, the other half from replanted vines. (90-93)

Some 2012s  from Bottle

2012 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru – Aux Malconsorts

This wine is rich with plenty of intensity to its red and dark fruit and it features a smooth texture. The wine has Malconsorts smokiness and shows some tannins on the finish. I’d look to 2027-2062 for prime drinking. 94+/A

2012 Corton-Charlemagne

This wine shows finesse and fine acidity, but lacks the tension and concentration of the best Corton-Charlemagnes. 90/B