Monthelie 1er Cru Les Vignes-Rondes AOC 2023

Wine description for Monthelie 1er Cru Les Vignes-Rondes AOC 2023 by Rémi Jobard

Colour & appearance

Transparent, intense ruby red with a youthful luminosity.

Nose

Pure, vibrant red fruit: fresh raspberries and cherries, accompanied by a floral top note of hollyhocks. Fine woody spice, vetiver, sandalwood and cooler herbal notes of thyme and savoury – subtly woven together, without any heaviness.

Palate

Dark-fruited and richly extracted, it makes an immediate impression: juicy bite, grippy texture, fleshy tannins that one could almost chew. A youthful powerhouse with deep bass and considerable drive on the palate – already seductive now, though a few years of bottle age will allow its exuberant youth to mellow.

Finish

Powerful and dense, with lingering fruit and a spicy aftertaste – a finale that speaks of greatness in the making.

Terroir & origin

The Premier Cru vineyard site Les Vignes-Rondes lies above the village of Monthelie on the mid-slope – a comparatively cool exposure on the limestone-clay soils typical of the area. Rémi Jobard, based in Meursault and celebrated for his white Burgundies, demonstrates here his flair for Pinot Noir from the neighbouring village.

Grape variety & vinification

Pinot Noir, hand-harvested. Around 80 % of the grapes are fermented as whole bunches, the remainder destemmed; fermentation is spontaneous with indigenous yeasts, extraction gentle via pigeage and remontage. Twelve months’ ageing in French oak barrels (around a quarter new), then bottled unfiltered and with minimal sulphur – entirely in keeping with the spirit of the domaine, which has eschewed synthetic fertilisers and pesticides since 1994 and is now Ecocert-certified.

Food recommendations

The cool fruit and grippy tannins call for substance on the plate: duck breast with cherry jus, roe deer saddle with juniper, coq au vin or a board of mature Époisses.

Special characteristics

A red wine from the house of a Meursault Chardonnay specialist – and one that bears the same signature: clarity rather than opulence, transparency rather than oak dominance. The high proportion of whole-bunch vinification lends it this floral, almost ethereal top note that sets it apart from the classic, earthy style of Monthelie. Patience will be rewarded, yet those who decant it now will experience a Pinot Noir of striking energy.