Xavier Monnot Puligny Montrachet Les Folatieres 1er Cru 2017

Meursault, Burgundy

Xavier Monnot/René Monnier is one of the leading producers of Meursault. The winemaking style emphasises purity of fruit, elegance and complexity.

Xavier can trace his mother's ancestors, the Monniers, back to 1723. Six generations of winegrowers. Xavier took over in 1994 after completing his oenological studies and began replanting the vineyards with a combination of mass selections of old vines and new clones.

Before the 2005 release, the estate was known as Domaine René Monnier (Xavier's grandfather). In 2005, along with improvements in the vineyard and cellar, Xavier began bottling his wines under his own label.

Domaine Xavier Monnot/Renè Monnier is a 16-hectare estate in Meursault with vineyards stretching from Beaune to Maranges, in Burgundy's Côte de Beaune.

60% of the Domaine's production is white (chardonnay), with properties in Monthelie, Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet. Important premier crus for white wine include Meursault 'Charmes', Chassagne-Montrachet 'En Remilly' and Puligny- Montrachet 'Les Folatières'.

The remaining 40% of Xavier's production is red (pinot noir) with vineyards in four villages: Beaune, Pommard, Volnay and Maranges. The premier cru reds include Beaune 'Les Cent-Vignes', Beaune 'Les Toussaints', Volnay 'Clos des Chênes' and the single vineyard Maranges 'Clos de La Fussière'. Xavier believes in keeping the average age of the vines between 30 and 40 years and practices 'reasoned control'.

Oenological philosophy: after manual harvesting, the Chardonnay is gently pressed.

Alcoholic fermentation takes place in barrels with indigenous yeasts. During barrel ageing, the wines undergo malolactic fermentation and bâtonnage is carried out at the end of alcoholic fermentation. The Pinot Noir is usually destemmed, except in warmer vintages, when up to 20% of stems can be included and indigenous yeasts are used for primary fermentation in stainless steel tanks.

After four to five days of cold maceration, Xavier uses a combination of pumping over and punching down to extract colour and aromas. After pressing, the wines are transferred to barrels for malolactic fermentation, for 12 to 14 months. The use of new wood varies from 15% to 35% depending on the importance of the wine appellation.