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Mondovino domaine boosts Burgundy holdings
Domaine de Montille, the Burgundy producer featured in the film Mondovino, has bought fellow Côte de Beaune property Château de Puligny Montrachet.
Etienne, Hubert and Alix de Montille
According to the Wine Spectator, the deal was worth just over $22 million (€18m) and includes around 20 hectares of vineyards as well as some wine stocks.
Château de Puligny Montrachet holds land across a number of premier cru sites in Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Monthelie, Saint-Aubin, Pommard and Nuits-Saint-Georges, with additional grand cru plots in Chevalier-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet and Montrachet.
Having sold off a small number of plots during the deal, Domaine de Montille now owns a total of 35ha, including 20ha of either premier cru or grand cru vineyard, making it one of the more significant players in the Côtes de Beaune.
Château de Puligny Montrachet, which was previously owned by Groupe Banque populaire et Caisse d’Epargne, has been managed since 2002 by Etienne de Montille, co-owner of Domaine de Montille.
At Domaine de Montille, Etienne de Montille takes responsibility for the red winemaking while his sister and co-owner Alix oversees the property’s white wines. Prior to this purchase, the property included 20ha of vineyard, of which 75% were either premier or grand cru.
A restructuring process is now due to take place, with the number of wines being reduced and a new hierarchy implemented. This will see Domaine de Montille at the top of the range with the grands and premiers crus vineyards, followed by Château de Puligny representing a number of premiers crus and village wines, with Maison Deux Montille providing the producer’s entry level.
The siblings took over the Volnay domaine following the retirement of their father Hubert de Montille, who began the task of rebuilding the property to its former glory. He famously starred in John Nossiter’s controversial film Mondovino as a vocal advocate for small, terroir-driven wineries in the face of global corporations pursuing a more international style.