In the vineyard
On taking over the domaine in 1998 (following a staggering 50-year stint by his father), Etienne de Montille was an early advocate of organic farming; and today all the vineyards are farmed organically.
De Montille naturally picks on the early side, therefore the team are acute to the new earlier ripening vintages and better prepared for warmer vintages. They pick on acid rather than sugar levels, an important factor they believe in getting the harvest dates right.
More recently, the team has been looking more closely at how soil type rather than appellation can determine accurate picking dates. White limestone soils typically at the higher parts of the vineyards ripens much faster than the brown clay soils in the same vineyard lower down. They have begun to experiment with how picking at different times within the same vineyard depending on soil type can benefit their cuvées.
In the winery
Since 1998, Etienne has changed the style of the De Montille wines – making them less austere than those of his father. Etienne incorporates whole-bunch fermentation, but varies the quantity depending on the specific terroirs. Identifying the nuance of each site and how much whole-cluster to use is the key to his red winemaking, ranging from 20% to 100% whole-bunch depending on the vineyard.
He carries out no cold soak prior to fermentation, which takes place at ambient temperatures with low-level extraction, with punch-downs carried out only when necessary. All wine is aged in barrel, with between five to 60% new oak, depending on the site and vintage conditions, followed by long élevage prior to bottling.
The approach to white wines, under the influence of Jean-Marc Roulot’s teachings, is to be very conscious of preserving the acidic backbone of the wine, providing a precise length and expression of terroir. The wine is barrel-fermented followed by long élevage (12 months in barrel) in 50% large 600-litre barrels and 50% barriques. The wines are then aged further on the lees in tank for two to six months, with one racking. The percentage of new oak again varies depending on the specific plots, ranging from five to 50%.
Today the winemaking team is fully international team with head winemaker Brian Sieve from the US, and additional members from Italy and Wales.
