1996 Hubert de Montille Pommard Les Pézerolles

Hubert de Montille named his Volnay domaine after himself and for many years bottled his wine under his own name. As his adult children joined the business, however, the name of the estate changed to Domaine de Montille. The de Montille family traces its roots to the 17th century. In modern times the estate was revived by Hubert who, though trained as a lawyer, also 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 Pezerolles is a 15-acre Premier Cru vineyard in the Pommard appellation of Burgundy’s Cote de Beaune. Since there are no Grand Crus in Pommard, the Premier Crus have special importance. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “Pommard at its best is the fullest wine made in the Cote de Beaune.”

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.