Domaine de Montille’s Bourgogne Blanc “Le Clos du Château” offers Puligny-Montrachet quality at Bourgogne pricing from a rare, walled 4.9-hectare clos encircling the historic Château de Puligny-Montrachet, purchased by Étienne de Montille in 2012. Though AOC boundaries drawn a century ago exclude it from village status—despite surrounding Puligny vines—this biodynamic site on silty-clay over limestone delivers supple, forward Chardonnay with unmistakable pedigree from the de Montille family, whose 17th-century Volnay roots and exacting style (via Hubert, then Étienne) have defined Burgundy royalty across domaine and négociant labels.[conversation_history:previous Burgundy de Montille details]

Étienne, after law school and a very brief bartending stint at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA, returned to master his father’s legacy, slashing yields 20% post-château acquisition to hone elite bottlings treated like Premier Crus: 30+ year-old vines, native yeast in mostly used 228–600L Allier barrels for a year, then six months in steel. The result marries Puligny’s precision—yellow apple, quince, lime blossom, crushed stone—with accessible creaminess, defying its generic label while aging gracefully 4–6 years.

Why You'll Love It

• Puligny heart without the price: biodynamic clos rivals village Puligny (and some 1ers) via de Montille mastery—tension, depth, minerality at Bourgogne value.

• Étienne’s “chou-chou” (favorite): supple clay soils + elite élevage yield forward, creamy Chardonnay that drinks young yet evolves elegantly.

• Historic pedigree: 17th-century roots, reduced yields, native yeasts—every drop screams quality over classification.

How to Serve It

• Decant 45 minutes, serve 50–55°F in Burgundy stems to unfurl apple-quince florals against saline spine.

• Pair with sole meunière, lobster risotto, or Comté—its pithy acids and chalky grip elevate richness without drowning.

• Drink now through 2030; cellar cool/horizontal for mushroomy tertiary notes to bloom.