Domaine Roblet Monnot

The ProfileROBLET MONNOT is the domaine of Pascal Robletwho is the 14th generation of his family to earn hisliving as a vigneron  (grape grower) in Volnay. He saysthat for all of his memory (and, to his knowledge, forlong before he was born), his family has farmed usingorganic principles with no pesticides or weed killers orother chemicals. In 1997 he converted from organicfarming to biodynamics and since then has been astrict follower of the lunar calendar, even holding upshipping a container soas to be able to bottle at thecorrect phase of the moon.

The vineyardsWhile all the vineyards (which are among the most pristine in Burgundy) are inPommard, Volnay (mostly), and Meursault, the actual winery is across thehighway (and across the tracks) in Bligny-les-Beaune. Roblet does most of hisvineyard and winery work with the help of just one assistant although he doeshave to hire pickers at the harvest.

The vineyards are in and around the three contiguous Cote de Beauneappellations of Pommard, Volnay, and Meursault. Roblet has been graduallyreplanting the domaine with most of his new planting at the very high densityof 12,000 vine per hectare. In most of Burgundy, 5,000 vines per hectare isconsidered normal and 10,000 is considered high density. 12,000 is borderlinefanatical.

The very high quality fruit he grows is brought into the winery where it is processed intotanks for a 2-3 day, pre-fermentation maceration (cold soak). No stems are used except forthe ripest vintages of from the Volnay-Piture vineyard. All the other plots are fully de-stemmed. The fermentations are in these same open top tanks, most of which aretemperature controlled stainless steel with a couple of wooden (oak) tanks. Capmanagement is by pigeage (punching down) and the wines generally get a 2-3 day cold soakbefore the alcoholic fermentation is allowed to start. Fermentations start naturally withindigenous yeasts and malo-lactic fermentation (in barrels) occurs naturally using thenative lacto-bacillus bacteria. The wines are aged in light toast, 30-month air-dried, all French oak barrels from onecooper (Chassin). The use of new barrels is carefully restrained to allow the purity andcomplexity of the fruit and the character of the sites to show through in the finished wines.The aged wines are racked only once about four weeks before bottling and that racking isfrom barrel to tank for the assemblage. This very protective, non-oxidative treatment isonly possible because of the very high quality of the grapes produced by meticulous, veryclean farming and the resulting healthy lees.

The Wine Making

Les Arvelets vineyard is centered on asteep south-facing slope at 886 feet ofelevation northeast of highway D 17.  Itis surrounded by the vineyards LaChanière, Les Charmots and Clos deVerger.

Pommard Arvelets1er Cru

VINEYARDTaillepieds is a 7.16 hectare (17.7 acre) vineyard on thesouthwestern side of Volnay.

SOILSmall stones with clay and limestone mix

VINE AGE50% is 45 years old; 50% is 23 years old

Volnay Taillepieds1er Cru

VolnaySaint Francois

100% PINOT NOIR

Village Wine but some juice is sourcedfrom 1er Cru vineyards.

St. François is a proprietary name. PascalRoblet’s father was named François.

Volnay Brouillards1er Cru

100% PINOT NOIR

Brouillards  originates from ancientFrench  Breuil  from Latin  Brogilus  fromGallic  Brogilos “small territory” then“thicket wood, young wood”. At one timethis land surely was wooded..

100% PINOT NOIR

The vineyards are actually located in Meursault but areentitled to be labeled Volnay Santenots due to their greaterresemblance to Volnay reds.

There are six  climats:  Les Plures or Les Petures, LesSantenots Blancs, Les Santenots du Milieu, Clos desSantenots and Les Santenots Dessous. Owing to more clay inthe Les Santenots soil than much of Volnay, the wines exhibitample body and sumptuous texture without associatedtannins. Only Pinot Noir is planted.

Volnay Santenots1er Cru

Volnay Saint Jean1er Cru

St. Jean is a common term used for blends ofVolnay Premier Cru wines. It refers to Johnthe Baptist. This wine is generally a blend ofPremier Cru Robardelle,  Mitans andPitures  vineyards. In years where Pascaldoes not bottle Taillepieds, Santenots orBrouillards, grapes from those vineyardscould be in this blend.