Region: Maranges, Burgundy, France

Varietal: 100% Pinot Noir

Tasting notes: A ripe but attractively fresh nose speaks of freshly turned earth, violet and poached plum. There is both good richness and volume to the overtly rustic medium-bodied flavors that possess excellent complexity on the reasonably long finish. This is a friendly and generous Burgundy, that conveys a sense of place with its rustic charm.

Producer: Xavier Monnot is a leading producer in Meursault whose winemaking style emphasizes purity of fruit, elegance, and complexity. Xavier can trace his mother’s ancestors, the Monniers, back to 1723, with six generations of winegrowing. Xavier took over in 1994 after completing his oenological studies and began replanting parcels with a combination of selection massale from old vines and new clones, and updated the cellar with modern equipment. Prior to the release of the 2005 vintage, the property 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 is a 42 acre estate in Meursault with vineyards stretching from Beaune to Maranges. 60% of the Domaine's production is white and 40% red with several premier crus in Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, Beaune, Volnay, and Maranges. Xavier believes in maintaining an average vine age of 30 to 40 years and practices lutte raisonnée (“reasoned struggle”).

Vineyard and Winemaking:  Three villages at the southernmost end of the Côte de Beaune make up the Maranges AOC: Cheilly-lès-Maranges, Dezize-lès-Maranges and Sampigny-lès-Maranges. Here, we’ve transitioned out of the Côte d’Or and into the Saône-et-Loire départment. Although the soil is like that of neighboring Santenay, Maranges is not strictly east-facing and its terrain is more diverse. Clos de la Fussière is a 2.6 acre block within and towards the bottom of La Fussière premier cru in Dezize-les-Maranges. It is a monopole belonging to of Xavier Monnot’s family for five generations. It is a steep, south-facing site that gives a wine that is rich, fleshy and dense. After hand harvesting, Pinot Noir is usually destemmed, except in warmer years when up to 20% of stems may be included, and native yeasts are used for primary fermentation in stainless-steel tanks. After four to five days of cold maceration, Xavier uses a combination of pump-over and punch-down for extraction. After pressing, the wines are transferred to barrels for malolactic fermentation for 12 to 14 months. Regional-level wines receive 15-20% percent new oak, village-level wines receive 25% new, and premier crus 30-35% percent.