Domaine de Montille Monthelie 1er Cru Les Duresses 2022

M“Duresses”refers to "Daraises" which, in the Mâconnais, is the name still given to the sides of carts. It comes from the Gallic Doratia “mobile pasture barrier, fence, gate”. Maybe there was a time when there were cattle enclosures surrounded by wooden barriers at the bottom of the hill of Bourdon. This 0.27-ha plot sits mid-slope on loamy clay-limestone soil and is ideal for chardonnay.The vines start very early. The wine is supple, balanced, mineral and long. Aging potential of 3 to 5 years. The wine and the style After a light settling, the musts are put into 228 and 600-liter-barrels to complete the alcoholic and malolactic fermentations. We work with 5 to 20% new barrels with wood coming mostly from Allier, light toasting. The wines are racked about a year later before being transfered to stainless steel vats for the second phase of their aging in order to retain freshness and minerality. Founded in the mid-18th century, this family- owned estate is one of the most historic in the Côte d'Or, with ninth-generation Etienne de Montille now at its helm. Etienne inherited this responsibility from his late father, Hubert, whose tenure lasted a staggering 50 years. While 90% of the region's production was sold to négociants, Hubert gained fame for his estate-bottled, long- lived and characterful wines. Etienne initially trained as a lawyer but was drawn back to Volnay where he invested in rebuilding the estate. He was a savvy buyer and the Domaine now boasts 37 hectares across 35 separate appellations, making it one of the most enviable vineyard holdings in the Côte d'Or. Etienne was an early advocate of organic farming. In 1995 he introduced these principles to the estate's vineyards. Biodynamic practices followed in 2005, and the Domaine received 'Ecocert Bio' certification in 2012. Today, Etienne works with American-born chef de cave Brian Sieve, who has been with the Domaine for over a decade. Puligny-Montrachet comes from a 1.1 hectare parcel situated in the Puligny Premier Cru "Les Chalumeaux" and 0.38 hectare in "Levron" and "Baudrières-Nosroy". "Les Chalumeaux" was declassified by INAO when it was replanted i 1975 because the former owner brought ir of topsoil. Since then, the combination of e and biodynamic farming have made the vines roots dive deeper into the original terroir. This parcel situated in the Puligny Premier Cru "Les Chalumeaux" and 0.38 hectare in "Levron" and "Baudrières-Nosroy". "Les Chalumeaux" was declassified by INAO when it was replanted in 1975 because the former owner brought in 20cm of topsoil. Since then, the combination of erosion and biodynamic farming have made the vines' roots dive deeper into the original terroir. This gives the Puligny-Montrachet a density and an unusual complexity. The Domaine has practised organic viticulture since 1995 and was certified organic in 2012. Since 2005 it has also converted to biodynamic viticulture.