It had been almost 5 years since I had stepped foot in Israel. I tried to rectify that issue last year but the war and the lack of planes put a large crimp in that plan. So, once I saw Lufthansa was flying planes again to Israel, in January 2024, I booked a flight and was all ready to go to Israel on a clean and simple one-stop flight in each direction. SFO-MUC-TLV and TLV-FRA-SFO. Either way, the flights forced me to stay overnight in Frankfurt, but that was life.

The flights were booked and I was planning my trip, my hotels and all, when I got this strange email from Ruth Morrell, a new name for me in regards to Honest Grapes, it read: Private Tasting of Domaine de Montille 2022 Kosher Cuvees – January 22nd. I must say that I rarely feel the need to run to such events but I was already going in that direction a day before. So after a few changed flights, itinerary, and a crazy couple of phone calls, my tickets were set to fly through London for a day.

None of this could have happened without the insane kindness, hospitality, and openness of Richard and his wife Hannah! They opened their home for me, shared their brand new wines with me and so many others, and threw the entire event in the evening so that we could all taste some wines together. A total mensch and a truly kind and wonderful person. I cannot forget the kids for putting up with me arriving early as well, an all-around very kind and overly hospitable experience! My sincere thanks!

The event was being hosted by Richard and Hannah in their home in London, later that evening, and I asked if I could arrive early and taste the wines that came just that day. The number of kindnesses by Richard and family was met by the kindness of Nathan Hill, the Bond warehouse, and two separate delivery people, all needed to play a very fine hand to meet the needs of the many, including myself!

Honest Grapes

I have written about Domaine de Montille before when I first tasted them, long after I had bought them En Primeur. However, I never had the time to talk about Honest Grapes, that was until I wrote my post on M&M Impoters, a partner of Honest Grapes and the importer of their wines in the USA.

Tom Harrow and Nathan Hill built quite the company and we have all been the beneficiaries of more kosher wines, because of Mr. Hill. Mr. Hill was very kind in the email exchanges we had along with the newly hired Ruth Morrell. They assured me that the event was on and it was going to be an opportunity to taste the following 2022 wines, though these were all barrel/tank samples.

Honest Grapes have just launched these stunning wines as en primeur in the UK. All the cuvees are exclusive to Honest Grapes and are funded entirely by us as in previous years. We are immensely proud of these wines and they follow the sold-out 2021’s from last year though production is higher, the quality is excellent and we are very confident in high critical appraise once again.

The tasting will be at the private home of one of our club members in Hendon on Monday January 22nd from 18:30-20:00 . We will enjoy a selection of canapes catered by Chef David Scott and his team that will accompany the wines. We are asking for a £40 contribution towards the canapes and waitressing staff to be paid directly to our host on the evening. We are limited to a certain number of guests so please may I ask that you RSVP as soon as you can. Address to follow.

We will be tasting the following 6 Domaine de Montille cuvees:

2022	Beaune Premier Cru ‘Les Perrières’	Domaine de Montille	Red
2022	Monthelie Premier Cru ‘Les Duresses’	Domaine de Montille	White
2022	Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru ‘Aux Thorey’	Domaine de Montille	Red
2022	Pommard Premier Cru ‘Les Grands Epenots’	Domaine de Montille	Red
2022	Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru ‘Les Chalumeaux’	Domaine de Montille	White
2022	Volnay Premier Cru ‘Les Brouillards’	Domaine de Montille	Red

The very cool part was that while these were what the tasting (what Nathan called the NON-RCC Tasting) was about, because of Richard’s kindness it also included the 2021 Domaine Montille wines as well!

You see the day I landed in London was the same day the 2021 Domaine Montille wines arrived, from Bond to Richard’s home! Through Richard and Hannah’s kindness, they shared the wines with us all and allowed us to taste them all in one night.

NOTE: There are EIGHT Kosher Burgundy wines in 2022, there are also two Bourgogne wines a white and a red, sadly they were not at the tasting.

The Tasting

As stated previously, I had asked Richard if I could arrive earlier and taste his 2021 wines quietly, without the noise and smells of cooking food, which would be the case later that evening.

As you read the evening would have some lovely small bites and that food was cooked in the house. So, the faster I could taste the wines the better I could feel about my notes. I arrived a bit before the chef arrived and an hour or so before Mr. Hill and Ruth did. This gave me ample time to taste the five 2021 wines that Richard had bought. I did not taste the 2021 Domaine de Montille Beaune, 1er Cru, Les Perrieres, Beaune, 1er Cru.

Overall, I found the 2021 Domaine de Montille wines to be right between the JP Marchand Burgundies and the Aegerter. Avi and I tasted the JP Marchand 2021 Burgundies in Paris in late Nov 2022 and I tasted them again in Jan 2023. The Aegerter wines I tasted in May 2023 (and again in Nov 2023) with Avi as well.

From the six times or more that I have now tasted kosher 2021 Burgundies, I can say that while they do not reach the 2020s or earlier, they are not the disaster that describes the 2021 Bordeaux vintage.

The truth is that when we taste the 2021 and the 2022 Domaine de Montille wines we will always compare them to the 2020. I wonder if the wine expression and characteristics that we find in 2020 are the desired outcome of the winemaker! You see Kosher Wine is a complex issue, and what I saw/tasted in the 2021 and 2022 (Barrel and tank samples) Montille wines are nothing like their older siblings. I wonder if there were no used/neutral kosher oak barrels around or if they could not clean up a non-kosher neutral barrel in time? The wine expression of the 2021 and 2022 vintages show less oak, less focus, and more of a hands-off approach than that of the 2020.

In no way am I saying that the 2020 were made incorrectly or that the 2021 and 2022 vintages are incorrect or poor, my point is that they are stylistically very different. You cannot pick up the 2020 and then the 2021 or 2022 and say these are siblings from the same parents (aka winemakers). At times the Kosher-making process gets in the way and at times it is the vintage, but on this matter, vintage was not the issue. Still, one could also say that the 2020 vintage superior grapes supported a heavier oak treatment, which again was stupendous and lovely, but different.

Now, if we get past the oak usage, the vintages are clearly different. The 2020 fruit is rich and opulent, the 2021 fruit is lean, and the 2022 fruit finds itself right in between those two vintages. The 2021 vintage lacks the fruit but has heady salinity and minerality. The 2022 vintage shows more fruit and a bit less of the minerality. The 2020 vintage had it just right with more than enough of both of them to make the wine work quite nicely.

Still, the stars of the Burgundy evening were the Volnay, Pommard, and Beuene wine regions. The Volnay wines continue to impress with their fruit and their precision. The 2021 and 2022 (samples again) showed that same style, both showing restrained oak, both showing the plush fruit, and the balanced minerality.

Overall, the 2021 is a step back from the 2022, which is a step back from the 2020 vintage. Still, they are all very nice expressions of Burgundy, the real difference lies in their complexity and their precision.

Added Goodies at the end and the shared tasting

After Nathan Hill and Ruth Morrell arrived at Richard’s home – the chef was already starting to cook their finger food. The aromas were not too bad and I was able to taste through the 2022 wines pretty well. Understand these were barrel samples – so the scores are not final.

Not long after, the folks started to file in and I will not bore you with the event particulars, other than to say that the food was pretty solid and these Londoners know how to make a fair amount of noise in a very large room.

I was getting ready to go, but Nathan was adamant that I stay and I was very happy I did. You see, soon after he told me to sit back down, nicely of course, there was a ring of the doorbell and a box arrived. The box was hand shipped from France and just got through customs, to make it in time, for the event. In the box were three new wines, none of which I had yet tasted, the 2022 Le Nardian, the 2020 Chateau Teyssier, and the 2020 Château Pontet Labrie.

Of course, I was happy to taste them and after that, I thanked Richard and Hannah for their untold kindness and hospitality. I thanked Nathan Hill and Ruth Morrell for sharing their wines with me, and finally, I said my goodbyes to the folks I knew in the room and made my way to my hotel.

My sincerest thanks to Richard and Hannah for sharing their time, home, and wines, and to Nathan Hill and Ruth Morrell, for also sharing their time and their wines, and impressive knowledge. The wine notes follow below – the explanation of my “scores” can be found here and the explanation for QPR scores can be found here:

2021 Domaine de Montille Monthelie, 1er Cru Les Duresses, Blanc, Monthelie – Score: 90.5 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is nice, filled with lemon curd, waxy notes, sweet smoke, bitter almonds, lovely chamomille, and sweet pear. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is quite lovely, precise, tart, and refreshing, while equally elegant, with lovely sweet oak, good acidity, nice salinity, ripe green olives, more floral notes, lemon curd, Friache, nice minerality, rock. The finish is long, tart, and vibrant, with good acidity, and refreshing, showing good saline, slate, nice almonds, rock, and lemon, lingering long. Drink by 2030. (tasted January 2024) (in London, UK) (ABV = 12.5%)

2021 Domaine de Montille Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chalumeaux, Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru – Score: 91 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is better than the Monthelie bursting with lemon, grapefruit, hints of orange, hints of almonds, sweet spices, and smoke. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, it has good acidity, but what we had in 2020 is not found here with sweet lemon, orange, grapefruit, good salinity, smoke, minerality, and sweet floral notes. The finish is long, tart, and refreshing, with sweet orange, lemon, saline, slate, rock, and rosehip lingering long. Nice! Drink by 2030. (tasted January 2024) (in London, UK) (ABV = 12.5%)

2021 Domaine de Montille Nuits Saint Georges, 1er Cru Aux Thorey, Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru – Score: 91 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is a bit more of a Cold-climate Cali Pinot Noir, think Carneros with ripe notes of raspberry, waxy notes, paraffin, dark cherry, smoke, and sweet herbs. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, showing enough focus, and good acidity, a bit simple, with good fruit, dark cherry, raspberry, smoke, sweet herbs, loam, graphite, and a nice tannin structure. The finish is long, herbal, smoky, and nice, with enough red fruit, good acidity, with refreshing notes, waxy, backed by graphite, nice tannin, floral notes, and sweet herbs. Drink until 2030. (tasted January 2024) (in London, UK) (ABV = 13%)

2021 Domaine de Montille Volnay, 1er Cru Les Brouillards, Volnay Les Brouillards, 1er Cru – Score: 93 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is not the fruit monster of 2020, but it is nice with good fruit, red fruit dominant, with nice smoke, sweet herbs, nice rose petals, earth, loam, smoked meat, and more smoke. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is balanced, a bit ripe, with lovely acidity, mouth-draping tannin, dark cherry, juicy raspberry, precise, and truly focused, with intense minerality, sweet oak, iron shavings, rose notes, coffee, and rich smoke. The finish is long, ripe, balanced, and very nice, showing nice ripe red fruit, good minerality, iron rock, iron shavings, rock, smoke, and lovely dark-covered coffee beans. A good expression of Volnay! Drink from 2026 until 2032. (tasted January 2024) (in London, UK) (ABV = 12.5%)

2021 Domaine de Montille Pommard 1er Cru, Les Grands Epenots, Pommard 1er Cru, Les Grands Epenots – Score: 92.5 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is less ripe than the Volnay and more balanced, akin to the 2020 vintage, but less redolent than 2020, being a bit more subtle, with nice red fruit, nice minerality, good floral notes, rosehip/violet, loam, smoke, minerality, and sweet spices. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is nice, showing some ripeness, nicely controlled, and elegant, with a rich acid core, and waxy paraffin, nice minerality, refreshing, with red tea notes, plum, cherry, raspberry, nice mouth-draping tannin, and loam. The finish is long, tart, juicy, expressive, and controlled, with coffee, sweet spices, anise, cloves, tannin, and minerality. Drink from 2027 until 2033. (tasted January 2024) (in London, UK) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Le Nardian, Bordeaux – Score: 93 (QPR: WINNER)
The notes of the nose are lovely, ripe, yet well balanced, yellow plum, smoke, peach apricot, wet grass, straw, incredible funk, almonds, pineapple, ginger, lovely jasmine, intense minerality, just a true joy, lovely and yet better than the 21. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is beautiful, layered, extracted, and tart, with intense acidity, intense mineral, graphite, sweet oak, peach, apricot, yellow plum, white pepper, pineapple, and lovely funk all wrapped in nice tannin, and smoke. The finish is long and tart and funky, with ginger, sweet pepper, and richly almond-driven, Bravo! Drink until 2030. Drink until 2030 (tasted January 2024) (in London, UK) (ABV = 12.5%)

2020 Chateau Teyssier, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – Score: 93.5 (QPR: WINNER)
The nose of this wine is ripe, big, bold, and bigger than the 2019 vintage, with black almost blue fruit, blackberry, plum, cassis, blueberry, sweet herbs, smoke, great graphite, tar, roasted herbs, and dense smoke, Bravo! The mouth of this full-bodied wine is lovely and densely mineral-driven, with lovely acidity, incredible graphite, ribbons of charcoal, dense fruit, minerality, sweet oak, and controlled fruit brings this mouthfeel with blackberry, plum, no hint of blue fruit, but that may come with time and loam. The finish is long, dense, and rich, with lovely minerality, graphite, pencil shavings, loam, and rich tar, with hints of tobacco, but what really sticks out is the scraping minerality, fruit, and sweet tannin. Lovely, Bravo!! Drink from 2026 until 2032. (tasted January 2024) (in London, UK) (ABV = 13.5%)

2020 Château Pontet Labrie, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru – Score: 95 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is lovely, rich, plush, ripe, and smoky, elegant, with rich tar, black and red fruit, tobacco, minerality, and iron shaving, impressive. Like all 2020 wines, the wine is crazy approachable and lovely! The mouth of this full-bodied is dense, layered, extracted, and richly expressive, with rich minerality, the wine’s beauty is in the mineral-driven mouth with blackberry, plum, cassis, plush, and velvety, but also scraping with minerality, and incredible focus of fruit, minerality, mouth-draping tannin, and rich loam, smoke, and dense dirt, Bravo! The finish is incredible, a real tour-de-force with minerality taking over, followed by rich tar, black fruit, tannin, rich tobacco, and dense fruit. Bravo! Drink from 2027 until 2036. (tasted January 2024) (in London, UK) (ABV = 13.5%)

Barrel/Tank Sample Notes

2022 Domaine de Montille Monthelie, 1er Cru Les Duresses, Blanc, Monthelie, 1er Cru – Score: 91 (QPR: EVEN)
The nose of this wine is light as well as the 2021 with notes of sweet oak, paraffin, yellow plum, peach, bitter almonds, and lemon curd. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is lovely, layered, acidic, and racy with good acidity, nice lemon curd, lemon acidity, good yellow plum, lovely sweet oak, papaya, sweet spices, nice cloves, nutmeg, and sweet herbs. The finish is long, herbal, sweet, and smoky, with green notes, herbs, lemon/orange, and yellow plum. Lovely! Drink from 2025 until 2031. (tasted January 2024) (Barrel/Tank Sample Notes) (in London, UK) (ABV = 12.5%)

2022 Domaine de Montille Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru, Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru – Score: 92.5 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is still not the 2020 vintage, with nice notes of chamomille, red roses, paraffin, yellow plum, sweet almond tea, and sweet oak. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is lovely, rich, layered, and concentrated, and while not the power of the 2020 vintage, it is lovely, with yellow plum, orange, sweet lemon curd, a touch of lime, sweet almonds, lovely sweet fruit, with great acidity, lovely minerality, and smoke. The finish is long, mineral-driven, ripe, with some sweetness, and lovely rock, and slate. Very nice! Drink from 2026 until 2033. (tasted January 2024)(Barrel/Tank Sample Notes) (in London, UK) (ABV = 12.5%)

2022 Domaine de Montille Beaune, 1er Cru, Les Perrieres, Beaune, 1er Cru – Score: 92 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is ripe with good notes of minerality, smoke, herbs, and rich loam, showing nice red fruit, rich smoke, sweet oak, and rich herbal notes. The mouth of this medium-plus bodied wine reminds me of the Volnay, a bit ripe, layered, and rich, yet very accessible, with ripe sour Cherry, plum, rich mouth-draping tannin, showing good precision, good fruit focus, and lovely sweet oak, wet loam, sweet/roasted herbs, and lovely smoke. The finish is long, herbal, smoky, and dirty, with good minerality, ribbons of graphite, loam, wet earth, and roasted herbs. Nice! Drink until 2030. (tasted January 2024)(Barrel/Tank Sample Notes) (in London, UK) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Domaine de Montille Volnay, 1er Cru Les Brouillards, Volnay Les Brouillards, 1er Cru – Score: 92.5 (QPR: GREAT)
The nose of this wine is ripe, rich, layered, and smoky, with good fruit, herbal, smoky, and dirty, with red cherry fruit, hints of blueberry, and coffee. The mouth of this medium-bodied wine is balanced, layered, and expressive, with good minerality, lovely acidity, and lovely focus, showing lovely cherry, raspberry, ripe plum, hints of blue fruit, and rich minerality that jumps out at you with the loam and roasted herbs showing nicely. The finish is long, herbal, smoky, and dirty, showing nice mushrooms, wet loam, and graphite. Nice! Drink from 2025 until 2032. (tasted January 2024)(Barrel/Tank Sample Notes) (in London, UK) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Domaine de Montille Nuits Saint Georges, 1er Cru Aux Thorey, Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru – Score: 93.5 (QPR: Great)
The nose of this wine is lovely, ripe, and round, but focused, with rich salinity, minerality, intense, redolent, dirty, and mushroom-driven, with Bing cherry, tart raspberry, and rich smoke. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is lovely, mouth-draping, with great acidity, dense minerality, iron core, iron shaving, graphite, smoke, bing cherry, raspberry, loam, slight blue notes, and roasted herbs, but what really jumps up is the rich minerality and mushroom. Lovely! The finish is long, balanced, herbal, mineral-driven, and scraping, with coffee, more forest floor, and draping tannin. Drink from 2026 until 2033. (tasted January 2024)(Barrel/Tank Sample Notes) (in London, UK) (ABV = 13%)

2022 Domaine de Montille Pommard 1er Cru, Les Grands Epenots, Pommard 1er Cru, Les Grands Epenots – Score: 93 (QPR: GOOD)
The nose of this wine is lovely showing dirt, earth, black and red fruit, dense and rich, with redolence, anise, white pepper, smoke, and sweet herbs. The mouth of this medium-plus-bodied wine is rich, not as ripe as the 2020 vintage, but this is far fresher, far more expressive, and lightly extracted, with lovely acidity, ripe cherry, juicy raspberry, rich minerality, acidity, sweet spices, dense loam, nutmeg, and smoke elevate the wine and make it even more elegant. The finish is long, tart, juicy, and expressive, with mushroom, soy sauce, dark chocolate, floral notes, and rich loam, with nice graphite and rock. Lovely! Drink from 2026 until 2033. (tasted January 2024)(Barrel/Tank Sample Notes) (in London, UK) (ABV = 13%)