Racy and complex wines from the Côte de Beaune
Xavier Monnot took over his family’s Meursault-based domaine in 1994 and has since taken the winery from strength to strength. Xavier’s commitment to sustainable viticulture earned the estate the respected French certification: Haute Valeur Environnementale.
“If you don’t do a good job in the vineyard, you won’t have a good wine in the end.”
- Xavier Monnot
Custom Viticulture
Xavier Monnot sees each of his vineyards as unique, with their specific mix of soil types, mesoclimate, and orientation. Xavier therefore treats each plot with meticulous, individual care. Careful thought goes into the matching of each rootstock and clone, with the destined vineyard. Yields are kept low and certified sustainable practices are employed.
Preserving Old Vines
Xavier works hard to maintain an average of 30 to 40-year-old vines. No more than one-third of a given vineyard is replaced at any time. In this way, Xavier’s wines achieve a balance of bright, fruity young vine nuances and powerful, complex flavours from older vines.
Purity & Elegance
Very slow, careful pressing, chilling of musts, and gravity filling of barrels are just a few of the methods used by Xavier to craft Chardonnay of pure, pristine quality. All wines are fermented with indigenous yeasts. Pinot Noir grapes are cold macerated, then gently extracted through out fermentation to yield elegant, silky textured reds.
The art of barrel ageing
Oak ageing is a fine art at Domaine Xavier Monnot. Mild to medium toast barrels, primarily from the Allier and Tronçais, are Xavier’s preferred choice. He uses 15 – 20% new oak on regional level wines, and up to 35% on his best Premier Cru appellations.
Behind the Wines
Xavier Monnot
Xavier comes from a long line of Burgundian winegrowers. His mother’s side of the family, the Monniers, began cultivating wine grapes in Meursault in 1723. Xavier joined the family business in 1994, after completing his oenology studies. He quickly set about replanting vineyard sites with a combination of massal selections and new clones. He also modernized the wine cellar to further enhance quality. The winery bore Xavier’s grandfather’s name, René Monnier, until 2005 when it was renamed Domaine Xavier Monnot.