First off, it’s hard to believe that wines from one of Burgundy’s finest vintages of the past few decades—the 2015 harvest—can still be found. But as highly lauded as the 2015s are, it was a polarizing vintage for me. Some producers took too much advantage of the sunshine and warmth, making wines that are over-extracted and lacking perfume; the very best producers, however, made wines that offer the total Burgundy package: ethereal perfume combined with impressive concentration.
DRC’s Aubert de Villaine has famously labeled the 2015 vintage “the most remarkable of my career,” and when the wines are successful, they deliver that elusive combination of early enjoyment and ageability. Case in point is today’s 2015 Bourgogne Rouge from Maison de Montille, a fast-rising star in the Burgundy firmament. The fortune of a perfect growing season resulted in a ‘Bourgogne’ designate that drinks more like a village-level Volnay. Perfectly-ripened Pinot Noir grapes drawn off a collection of biodynamically farmed sites primarily from the village of Corpeau, near Puligny-Montrachet, delivered a beautifully structured Pinot that is just now beginning to soften as it enters its prime drinking window. We’ve sung the praises of the de Montille family many times—it’s “a first class Côte de Beaune domaine,” as Jasper Morris MW has said—but this Bourgogne Rouge is a standout. I’m stocking up, and you’d be wise to follow suit!
I recall the feverish pitch of excitement pouring out of France over the storied 2015 red Burgundies—right around the exciting debut of SOMM: Into the Bottle. In retrospect, the timing of an epic Burgundy vintage and release of the second SOMM film perfectly sums up the beauty of wine for me: that in every bottle there’s a riveting story to tell. But there are other stories, too—the myriad untold personal tales of each and every moment a bottle is opened and enjoyed. In that spirit, I have to ask: In the early winter of 2015, did you make a mental note about the lauded Burgundy harvest? And were you among the many fortunate collectors who swooped up the first bottles as they came to market a couple of years later?
If you missed out, or if you’ve simply been on the lookout for another mesmerizing 2015 red Burgundy to add to your collection, full stop: Étienne de Montille has become a Burgundian superstar and any label bearing his family name is guaranteed to impress. And in 2015, Étienne produced a real rarity—an age-worthy Bourgogne Rouge from a limestone slope near two of my favorite towns.
On your way to Chassagne-Montrachet from Puligny Montrachet, a literal two- to three-minute detour will send you into the charming hamlet of Corpeau, where the de Montille family owns a tiny vineyard of Pinot Noir vines (surrounded by mostly white grapes) planted on one of the town’s limited hillside sites at the mid-slope. With perfect drainage, and in years with ample sunshine, these vines deliver a stunning Burgundy AOC wine. But in the hands of De Montille, the result is a wine with the structure of a village-level red, and when the natural acids remain firm and taut, a red with real aging potential.
And as Burgundy connoisseurs know, De Montille has been a fast-rising star in the wine world, having grown up under the tutelage of his legendary father, Hubert, who passed away in 2014. Hubert was the crotchety patriarch of the family’s Domaine de Montille, which he ran for years while simultaneously practicing law. In addition to continuing their father’s work at Domaine de Montille—which is best known for earthy, mineral reds from Volnay and Pommard—Étienne and his sister, Alix, branched out in many directions. Étienne spent time abroad (which included at least one California harvest and a stint bartending at Berkeley’s Chez Panisse), and returned to not only assist Hubert but take over winemaking at the Château de Puligny-Montrachet (which he ended up purchasing in 2012 with a group of investors). Alix, who was seen jousting with Hubert in the documentary film “Mondovino” (2004), was the original driving force behind Maison de Montille, but she has since gravitated to the restaurant business. The original mission of their label—to only purchase grapes from sustainable sources—remains in full effect, and they’ve convinced many of their grower-partners to convert to organic farming.
Grapes for today’s 2015 Bourgogne Rouge were hand-harvested and primarily whole-cluster-pressed into a mix of 228- and 600-liter oak barrels for fermentation. The finished wine spent one year aging in mostly neutral barrels. In the glass, the first whiff reveals quintessentially Burgundian aromas with red fruits, plum, cranberry, and delicate, freshly picked cherry interwoven with rose petal, underbrush, and damp tree bark or the subtle fresh scent of wet leaves just after a rain. On the palate, the wine has a lot of sturdy structure and the definite feeling of what I find in a lot of classic wines from Volnay and Pommard—classic Côte de Beaune attributes that show this has a long aging potential and will most likely peak between its 7th and 10th birthday as it broadens and deepens in complexity. For a Bourgogne Rouge, that’s really something special. I recommend serving in Burgundy stems at 50-55 degrees and pair it with seared duck breast or salmon alongside roasted Shiitakes and mushroom sauce.
