2018 Domaine Roblet-Monnot Volnay 1er Cru Brouillards, Burgundy, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

Les Brouillards is located adjacent and just below highway D 973 at about 836 feet in elevation on mostly limestone soils. It is bounded to the south by Les Mitans and above by Pointes d’Angeles vineyards. Brouillards originates from ancient French Breuil from Latin Brogilus from Gallic Brogilos “small territory” then “thicket wood, young wood”. At one time this land surely was wooded.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Pascal Roblet can trace his roots in Volnay to the 1600’s on his mother’s side and four generations on his father’s side. All of Domaine Roblet-Monnot’s holdings are in Volnay, 6 hectares. Pascal’s conversion to biodynamic viticulture in 1997 along with his high density planting, 12,000 vines per hectare and very low yields, 30-35 hectoliters per hectare, are part of what has transformed his domaine into one of the leading sources of wine from these communes. Volnay has enjoyed fame far longer than most of the communes in Burgundy. In the 1300’s it was the most famous wine of Burgundy thanks to the Knights of Malta, vineyard owners since 1207. In kingly fashion, Louis XI added the entire vintage of 1447 to his personal cellar leaving none for the less worthy. Due to its history of renown there are more descriptions of ancient Volnay than almost any other Burgundy. Perfume and finesse are the hallmarks of Volnay wines displaying Pinot Noir in its most seductive manner.

Pascal Roblet may not be able to trace his roots in Volnay to the 1300’s but four generations on his father’s side and back to the 1600’s on his mother’s side seems pretty far back to most of us. It was in 1865 that Victor Delagrange, Pascal’s great-grandfather on his mother’s side, created the domaine. Victor handed the reigns over to his son-in-law Henri Monnot (Pascal’s grandfather) in 1926. Henri managed the domaine by himself until 1973 and then with his son François (Pascal’s father) until 1989. It all sounds rather biblical, doesn’t it? Ownership of the domaine is currently divided between Pascal’s mother and her sisters. When Pascal’s father retired in 1989 it opened the door for Pascal. In 1990 Pascal took over the family domaine and renamed it Domaine Roblet-Monnot.