Monthelie 1er Cru Les Vignes-Rondes AOC 2020 1500ml Magnum

A Pinot Noir built on clarity: cool fruit, fine texture, melting tannin. The magnum format slows its maturation even further, so this wine can take its time.

Monthelie lies on the Côte de Beaune, just west of Volnay, and is one of Burgundy's quieter appellations. The premier cru vineyard Les Vignes-Rondes sits on limestone, which gives the wine its taut structure and saline minerality. Domaine Rémi Jobard in Meursault has farmed without artificial fertilisers or pesticides since 1994, and without herbicides since 1998. The vine rows are worked by hand and cover-cropped, no fertiliser is applied, and cordon pruning keeps yields low.

Pinot Noir, single varietal. Ageing follows the estate's principle: around 15 months in 600-litre casks made by Austrian master cooper Stockinger, built from French, Austrian and Slavonian oak, followed by further rest in tank. The larger volume means less wood contact per litre and a slower oxygen exchange; only about a fifth of the casks are renewed each year. "The wood should support the wine, not dominate it," says Rémi Jobard. The wine is bottled unfiltered, its stability coming from two winters of ageing rather than technical intervention.

Raspberry and red cherry, with violet and a mineral spiciness. Lean and juicy in structure, silky tannin, cool fruit, saline finish.

The 1500 ml format allows the wine to age more slowly and brings it to the table for larger gatherings. Bottled at Domaine Rémi Jobard, 12 rue Sudot, in Meursault.