Roblet Monnot

History of Domaine Roblet-Monnot

The history of Domaine Roblet-Monnot is deeply rooted in the soil of Volnay, where Pascal Roblet's family has been established since the 17th century on his mother's side and for four generations on his father's side. The current estate was founded in 1865 by Victor Delagrange, Pascal's maternal great-grandfather. In 1926, Victor passed the property on to his son-in-law Henri Monnot, Pascal's grandfather, who ran the domaine alone until 1973, then together with his son François, Pascal's father, until 1989. The estate was also one of the first in the region to bottle on-site as early as the 1930s.

In 1990, at just twenty years of age, Pascal Roblet took over the family estate and renamed it Domaine Roblet-Monnot, in homage to his two family lines. Very early on, he decided to make a clean break with the past, starting from a blank slate both in the vineyard and in the cellar. Convinced from the outset by organic farming and biodynamics, he converted his vineyard in 1997 and obtained organic certification. In 2002, he decided to stop topping the foliage, following the example of Lalou Bize-Leroy at Domaine Leroy, so as to avoid stressing the vines. A singular trajectory that would earn him recognition from the greatest critics, including William Kelley of Wine Advocate.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Roblet-Monnot

The vineyard of Domaine Roblet-Monnot covers nine hectares of vines, located primarily in the emblematic village of Volnay, complemented by a few plots in Pommard and the Côte de Beaune. The soils, predominantly clay-limestone with occasional limestone veins, offer ideal conditions for Pinot Noir, which expresses all of its aristocratic delicacy here. The estate also cultivates Aligoté and Chardonnay on small plots.

The singularity of the estate lies in its very high planting density (up to 12,000 vines per hectare) and in deliberately low yields (30 to 35 hectolitres per hectare), guarantees of optimal concentration and a precise expression of the terroir. Pascal Roblet favours working with horses in order to limit soil compaction, and manages his vineyard in strict compliance with the principles of biodynamics, without recourse to synthetic products. Each plot receives tailored care, according to its needs, so as to allow its personality to express itself fully.

Winemaking at Domaine Roblet-Monnot

In the cellar, located in the hamlet of Bligny-lès-Beaune, Pascal Roblet extends the gentle and respectful approach established in the vineyard. Harvesting is entirely manual, with rigorous sorting of the berries. The winemaking is low-interventionist, allowing the fruit to naturally develop all of its aromas and reveal the personality of each climat. Fermentations take place on indigenous yeasts, without the addition of oenological inputs.

The wines are aged in oak barrels, with a measured proportion of new wood, so as to support the wine without masking its terroir identity. Pascal Roblet seeks above all finesse, purity, freshness and digestibility — qualities that have become the recognizable signature of the estate. The wines are bottled with extreme care, without over-extraction or excessive opulence. The result is expressed in Volnays and Premiers Crus of great elegance, endowed with a silky mouthfeel, a mineral energy and a remarkable ageing potential.

The cuvées of Domaine Roblet-Monnot

Bourgogne Aligoté Nerthus: an exceptional Aligoté cuvée that has become one of the estate's signatures. Vinified with the same care as the finest cuvées, it reveals a rare depth for the variety: a complex nose, a taut, mineral and saline palate, sometimes mistaken blind for a great Chardonnay. A high-flying white that surprises even devoted Chardonnay lovers.

Bourgogne Chardonnay: a village-level Chardonnay from the Côte de Beaune, this white seduces with its purity, its notes of citrus and white flowers, and its fine freshness, true to the airy and precise style of the estate.

Volnay (village): a village-level cuvée of Volnay, this wine embodies to perfection the elegance and finesse that are the hallmark of the appellation, often described as the "flower of Burgundy". The delicate nose reveals aromas of red fruits, violet and soft spices. The palate is distinguished by its silky roundness, its balance and its freshness, in a remarkably precise style for a village wine.

Volnay Saint-François: the estate's signature cuvée and favourite, this Volnay asserts itself through its finesse, elegance and subtlety. The bouquet of red fruits and violet precedes a silky, round and taut palate, where the full depth of the climat is found. A cuvée that has made the estate's reputation and regularly features on the finest Michelin-starred tables.

Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds: an emblematic Premier Cru located in the upper part of Volnay, in the continuation of the Clos des Chênes, on the border with Monthélie. The terroir, composed of blonde clay soils crossed by a limestone vein, yields a wine endowed with a firm foundation and an original textural grain, with a firm structure and a chiselled minerality. The young vintage offers a dark robe, a nose of strawberry, blackberry and bramble, a solid and concentrated palate built for ageing.

Volnay 1er Cru Les Brouillards: a great Premier Cru of Volnay, produced in very small quantities, this wine stands out for its brilliant purity, luminous fruitiness and energetic minerality. A precise, refined and relief-filled Volnay, in the lineage of the estate's finest cuvées.

Volnay 1er Cru Pitures Dessus: another rare and little-known Premier Cru from the estate, this wine offers a very pure expression of the Volnay terroir. A brilliant robe, a complex nose of red fruits and spices, a structured yet silky palate, and a long, saline finish of great elegance.

Pommard (village): a village-level cuvée of Pommard, more structured and powerful than the Volnays, true to the more virile character of the appellation. The wine unfolds aromas of fleshy black fruits, spices and undergrowth, supported by a dense substance, well-integrated tannins and a persistent finish.