Spectrum Fine Wine Auctions Home

The May 2023 Auction: Part 4

Auction # 764 | View Auction Schedule and Details
Back to auction lot listing Back to Auction Lot Listing
Auction Ends: 5/25/2023 6:00:00 PM PDT

Lot #306. Domaine de Montille Volnay Les Taillepieds 2020

Description: Consists of 1 Bottle, 0.75L
Score: 93-95 NM.
"The 2020 Volnay Les Taillepieds 1er Cru comes from two parcels and is 90% whole cluster. Brambly red berry fruit is mingling with black pepper, clove and touches of undergrowth. The palate is medium-bodied with quite succulent tannins, more rondeur here than the other Volnays, plush and quite luxuriant with a sensual and very pure finish. Superb. Head winemaker Brian Sieve was on hand to show me through de Montille’s wide range of whites and reds. ‘There are vintages where the vigneron chooses the date to pick, but in 2020 (and 2021) it was determined by Nature,’ he opined. ‘So, that means we can’t dictate the style. Then there are logistical factors that come into play, like your pickers’ availability to pick at the right time. You tend to lose students the later it is, but you get older people still coming, and then it becomes difficult from later September. In 2020 we had to be ready to pick as soon as we came back from vacation because I wanted to stay in the red fruit profile. We were at the limits, really, in terms of ripeness and acidity. The white was less complicated than the red. What saved us was the quantity of fruit [in terms of lowering concentration]. Everything was over 35hl/ha. I am looking forward to seeing where these wines are after the second winter in barrel because there will be some good reductive characteristics. The alcohol levels are around 12.5° to 13.0°. Most whites are under Diam.’ There is a lot to admire in de Montille’s 2020s in both colors. By managing to stay in that red fruit profile, Sieve retained that sense of Pinoté that eluded others, avoiding any confit-like aromas or flavors. In addition, the use of whole bunch is very assiduous (see tasting notes for exact percentages) and lends the reds freshness when it might have been lacking. Highlights here include the Pommard Les Rugiens-Bas, a brilliant Clos de Vougeot, a great Pommard-like Volnay Les Mitans and, of course, the two cuvées from Les Malconsorts, which I found quite different this year." Neal Martin, Vinous.com, Oct 2021
Provenance: The Arctique Cellar
Lot Location: Orange County
Estimate: $100

Image Gallery



- Indicates you are the winning bidder for a specific lot.
- Indicates you are the highest bidder for a specific lot.
- Indicates you have been outbid on a specific lot.
*Price includes BP if auction is closed
^Reserve not met