Originally called Maison Deux Montille, the estate began as a partnership between siblings Alix and Etienne de Montille. Etienne took over the ownership when his sister retired, renaming the estate Maison de Montille to reflect this.
The Montille family domaine in Volnay is historic. Yet when the siblings set up their own domaine, they sought to experiment with different appellations to those their father, Hubert, had traditionally vinified. The domaine evolved and expanded, first in 2005 with the addition of vines bought from Domaine Thomas in the Côte de Nuits, and again in 2012 when Etienne purchased the Château de Puligny-Montrachet. Since taking complete ownership, Etienne has focused on reducing production to improve quality further.
Winemaker Brian Sieve makes the wines of Maison de Montille at their cuverie in Meursault. Etienne’s approach in vineyards and cellar replicates that of Domaine Montille, using the same team to oversee viticulture, decide harvest dates and select the grapes. Long-standing vineyard contracts mean Etienne knows all his growers and the quality of their vines personally.
The style of Maison de Montille’s wines is very similar to that of Domaine Montille. The estate produces elegant, aromatic and balanced whites, alongside a red that is pure and scented with a nice backbone of acidity. The Rully, sourced from a 50-year-old vineyard, is startlingly good. It has excellent depth on the palate, less oak than many from this appellation and great length, defined by white stone fruits. Similarly, the Pouilly Fuisse ‘En Vergisson’ is tighter than many wines from this appellation, displaying the delineated flavours that winemaker Brian manages to extract from the grapes. The Saint Romain has a touch of smoke on the nose and a delicious, mealy fruit on the palate.
The Pommard Premier Cru ‘Pomone’ takes its name from the Roman name for Pommard, a nod to the great heritage of this part of Burgundy. It has lovely aromatics complemented by fleshy and silky fruit, alongside the tell-tale acid and tannic structure of the Maison de Montille wines.
