2017 Domaine de Montille Pommard Les Grands Épenots

Domaine de Montille is the Volnay estate of the Montille family, which traces its roots to the 17th century. In modern times the estate was revived by Hubert Montille, the family patriarch who, though trained as a lawyer, began making wine in 1947. Rather than selling his cuvee to negociants, he bottled his own, a rarity at the time. Today the estate is run by Hubert’s son Etienne, also a lawyer with extensive viticulture experience, with help from his sister Alix. Hubert died in 2014. The 60-acre estate includes Grand Cru parcels in Clos de Vougeot, Corton and Corton-Charlemagne, as well as Premier Crus in Vosne-Romanee, Pommard, Volnay, Beaune and Puligny-Montrachet. Clive Coates calls Domaine de Montille a “great Volnay estate, well-known for its policy of minimal chaptalisation. This makes for very pure wines….”

Les Grands Epenots is a 25-acre Premier Cru vineyard in Pommard, in Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. It is in the central part of the Pommard appellation, to the east of the village. There is a gentle slope to the vineyards in this part of Pommard, and the Burgundy expert Clive Coates notes that “the presence of pebbles in the soil ensures good drainage and contributes to the considerable elegance which you find in a good Epenots…” Because Pommard has no Grand Crus, its Premier Crus are especially noteworthy. Pommard is an appellation of red wine only.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.