Domaine Xavier Monnot
FRANCE, Meursault
Xavier Monnot is among one of the most esteemed names in the Côte de Beaune with vineyard plots stretching from Beaune to Maranges and family winegrowing dating back six generations.
Winemaker & owner
Xavier Monnot
“In 1994, Xavier Monnot took over the family winery after completing oenological studies. With a penchant to improve the family’s 17 hectares of vineyards, Xavier focused on replanting parcels with a combination of mass selections of old vines and new clones, and updating the cellar with modern equipment, including gravity flow. The new approach of the domaine combines traditional and modern methods in the vineyard and winemaking. Along with these changes, Xavier began bottling his wines under his own label, Domaine Xavier Monnot.”
“He describes his vineyards as ‘clean like a golf course’. If you don’t do a good job in the vineyard, you don’t have a good wine in the end. Healthy, ripe fruit is at the heart of all decisions made in the vineyard.”
Winemaking
Our philosophy
Xavier is meticulous about treating each plot personally; all grapes are manually harvested. His winemaking style emphasizes purity of fruit, elegance, complexity and a full, silky mouthfeel. The approach is ‘lutte raisonnée’: restricting yields for quality and concentration and intervening as little as possible so as not to upset the natural environment.
Collection
Our wines
The Xavier Monnot wines are characterised by a purity of fruit, elegance, complexity and a full, silky mouthfeel.
MEURSAULT 1ER CRU LES CHARMESPULIGNY-MONTRACHET 1ER CRU LES FOLATIÈRESVOLNAY 1ER CRU CLOS DES CHÊNES
WHITE WINE
Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes
Information
The fruit for this wine comes from two parcels, one purchased in the 1970s and the other a holding from Xavier’s great-grandparents. The plots were planted in 1961 and 1989 and border Puligny-Montrachet on their south end. In Meursault, Les Charmes is one of the big-three vineyards, along with Perrières and Genevrières. The name is said to come from chaume, “hornbeam tree,” or chaume, “field.” Limestone soils here are very shallow and Xavier often hits mother rock during plowing.
Tasting notes
The nose picks up a flinty minerality along with vanilla, hazelnut and toasty notes. Honey and peach flavours complement a notably rich and mouth filling wine. The shallow soils force the vines to struggle, producing excellent, complex wines exhibiting white nectarine and a long, mineral finish.
Rewards
Robert Parker: 92/100
Wine enthuasiast: 94/100
In “Hooray for Chardonnay: A Global Guide to the World’s Best Bottles”
WHITE WINE
Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières
Information
The vines for this wine are 43 to 57 years old, in the heart of the famous coteau (“hill”) of Folatières, one of the largest and finest of Puligny-Montrachet’s premiers crus. This plot was purchased by Xavier’s grandmother Denise and has the best location directly in the middle of the premier cru. The site enjoys excellent sun exposure and warmer temperatures. The name derives from folles-terres, “crazy earth,” because the earth from the upper part of the vineyard comes tumbling down, eroding so much that every two years the soils must be transported from the bottom of hill back to the top.
Tasting notes
It has an elegant bouquet of orange blossom and nectarine. The palate is fresh and quite saline on the entry, offering exotic aromas of dried yellow fruit, white flowers, citrus and acacia flowers. This wine is a classic expression of terroir, fully concentrated and savory, with refreshing acidity and a mineral backbone that will benefit from additional cellar aging.
Rewards
Robert Parker: 91/100
Wine enthusiast: 93/100
WHITE WINE
Volnay 1er Cru Clos Des Chênes
Information
Clos des Chênes is considered to be among the finest expressions of Volnay. Half of the vines from Clos des Chêne are 80 years old and rooted in clay soils on a Jurassic limestone base.
Tasting notes
The 2018 Volnay Clos des Chênes 1er Cru offers a mixture of red and black fruit, veins and lovely floral notes coming through with aeration, and the oak is nicely integrated. Its a quintessential Volnay, with finesse, depth and length on the palate. With cherry, spice, violet, liquorice and conspicuous minerality. This wine is a combination of elegance and power concentrated with purity of flavor, sublime texture and a long finish.
Rewards
Robert Parker: 90+/100
Wine Spectator Insider: 93/100
