The de Montille family can trace their roots back to the French aristocracy in the 19th century, proprietors of land in both Volnay and Pommard before the Revolution. They purchased small plots of vine during the century, probably leasing it out to other winegrowers as was common in those days. Phylloxera cast its shadow over the domaine and the family were forced to diversify their interests, rearing cattle around Auxois. Hubert de Montille was born in 1930, his father François passing away just five years later, leaving his mother and uncle to manage the domaine. Hubert himself took over in 1951, although by this point there were only around 2.5-hectare of vineyard; hence his pursuit of a legal career in the town of Dijon, since there was insufficient vinous revenue to live on. His vocation ultimately led him to become an important figure within Burgundian legislation. But during the 1960's, with his income boosted by his successful career, he was able to augment his vineyard with acquisitions of other parcels and expand the domaine. He was one of the first to introduce domaine-bottling on a serious scale, having already bottled some of the production himself back in the early 1950`s. The 1961 vintage was the last to be sold to Beaune negociants. Hubert is now joined by his son, Etienne who spent his formative years at Coopers and Lybrand before becoming a full-time at Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet and Domaine de Montille. I have met him a few times: a sharp, business-like man at first, who has inherited some of his father's pugnaciousness, but was amiable and determined to make de Montille a byword in quality.
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