Domaine Rene Monnier is a family domaine situated in the heart of Meursault
within the Cote de Beaune appellation. Xavier Monnot joined the family business
in 1994 after a formation in oenology. He started his work replacing vines of average
quality with better ones and modernizing the facilities of the estate as well as
winemaking techniques.
Today every action in the estate is taken with the natural
environment in mind. Frequent and repetitive work on the ground helps to develop
the soil life and allows the roots to extract all the necessary nutrients from it. Only
organic fertilizers are used in the vineyards. Rigorous de-budding allows the fruit
to achieve perfect health and excellent ripeness levels. During the summer, the
vineyard is stripped of leaves on the north side of the ranks at the cluster level,
which guarantees better ventilation and helps to avoid the anti-rot chemicals.
The harvest is done manually and the grapes are selected in the vineyard on a
sorting table. Whole bunch pressing follows. The juice is vinified slowly by raising
the pressure at successful intervals in order to give it a maximum clarity. Then the
juice is cooled d
own and by gravity it moves to the curves in the cellar below the
winery. The natural yeast starts the fermentation process. Xavier believes that
in the use of natural yeasts lies the future of local wines.
