Domaine de Montbourgeau

History of the Domaine de Montbourgeau

The history of Montbourgeau has been written over nearly a century, with each generation expressing its passion for the vine and wine. In 1920, Victor Gros purchased Montbourgeau, planted the vineyard and began bottling and selling the wines. In 1956, his son Jean took over, created the vat room and dedicated himself to expanding the vineyard and developing the estate.

In 1986, Nicole Deriaux joined the estate, modernised the cellars, continued the plantings that would allow her to produce a Vin Jaune, and developed export sales. In 2019, César, representing the fourth generation, took over the helm alongside his brother Baptiste, with new single-plot projects and a new underground vat room designed to operate without any air conditioning. Through each successive handover, the estate has established itself as an unmissable reference of the Étoile appellation.

Terroirs and Vines of the Domaine de Montbourgeau

Le Domaine de Montbourgeau is rooted at the heart of L'Étoile, one of the most confidential appellations of the Jura, dedicated exclusively to white wines. Its name evokes both the five hills arranged in a star shape around the village and the pentacrinites, those small five-branched fossils that riddle the soils. On this clay-limestone terroir interspersed with grey and iridescent marls, the vineyard extends over approximately eleven hectares in an almost single continuous block, on the Montangis hillside.

Chardonnay, the estate's grape of predilection, accounts for nearly 70% of the plantings, alongside Savagnin (around two hectares) and a few plots of Trousseau and Poulsard. Vineyard work is respectful and sincere: entirely hand-harvested, soils are ploughed and grassed over, and a committed conversion to organic farming is underway, in order to preserve soil vitality and reveal the purest expression of L'Étoile's terroir.

Winemaking at the Domaine de Montbourgeau

In the cellar, winemaking scrupulously follows the traditional methods of the Jura. Fermentations proceed naturally and aging takes place in large foudres, demi-muids and old barrels, of which almost none are new. Production is divided between two main wine families: the ouillé wines, whose barrels are regularly topped up to the bung to reveal the terroir without oxidative influence, and the voile wines, where the intentionally unfilled barrel allows a protective yeast veil to form.

This voile technique, a defining hallmark of the estate, reaches its pinnacle with the Vin Jaune, aged for several years without topping up. Depending on the cuvée, fermentations are conducted with indigenous yeasts and sulfur additions are kept very low, with the voile whites never being racked. From vine to bottle, each wine is crafted with patience and precision, to preserve the balance and aromatic complexity characteristic of the Jurassian tradition.

The cuvées of the Domaine de Montbourgeau

L'Étoile blanc is the estate's classic cuvée, a Chardonnay-dominant wine into which a few rows of Savagnin are occasionally blended to add complexity. Vinified in tank then aged in old barrels and demi-muids for around two years before blending, it is a straight, taut and saline wine, with notes of white-fleshed fruit and citrus.

La Cuvée Spéciale is the flagship of Montbourgeau, the quintessence of Chardonnay in oxidative style: aged for a long time under a veil, it reflects its clay-limestone terroir, riddled with pentacrinites, in every vintage. Powerful and flavourful, it unfolds aromas of walnut, green apple, curry and old wax, underpinned by remarkable freshness and salinity.

Montangis is one of the new single-plot cuvées born under César's impulsion, an ouillé Chardonnay from the eponymous hillside, precise, mineral and true to its place. L'Assemblage, also ouillé, comes from a plot of around 0.8 hectares in Banode, planted en foule around 1970 with roughly equal parts Savagnin and Chardonnay, whose juices are blended and vinified in foudre.

La Chaux is a single-plot Chardonnay from a small limestone hillock whose vines, planted in 1930, comprise one third Chardonnay, one third muscat Chardonnay and one third melon à queue rouge, a local variety. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged for one year in 400-litre barrels, it is a rich, concentrated, full-bodied and saline wine that pairs beautifully with fish.

Le Vin Jaune is the estate's icon, a pure Savagnin aged under a veil for more than six years and presented in its traditional 62 cl clavelin bottle. Intense and complex, it offers the grape's characteristic range of aromas: walnut, almond, curry, green apple and spices, with an exceptionally long finish.

Le Vin de Paille is a sweet wine made from dried grapes (Chardonnay, Savagnin and Poulsard) that are slowly desiccated before pressing. Rich and complex, it stands out with a style reputed to be drier than the average straw wine, combining concentration and freshness.

Le Crémant du Jura, the true flagship of the estate, is made according to the traditional method, most often with a predominance of Chardonnay, in a fine, fresh and thirst-quenching style. Le Macvin du Jura, available in both white and rosé, is a liqueur wine born from the blending of Jura marc and grape must, where a fine acidity perfectly balances the sweetness.

Les Secrets de Montbourgeau perpetuate an ancestral recipe for cooked liqueur wine, predating the codification of Macvin — a rare and precious delicacy unique to the estate. Montbourgeau also produces a few delicate reds from Poulsard and Trousseau, with fine tannins and a silky palate, which subtly complete the range of wines from the estate.