Domaine du Monteillet - Stéphane Montez

The winemaker

Stéphane Montez is an international winemaker. He worked for two years between England, Australia, California and South Africa. This experience enabled him to improve the techniques of the family estate and to cope with the various climatic difficulties that arise throughout the year.

In 1997, he succeeded his father at the head of the Domaine du Monteillet. Since then, he has been cultivating this vineyard planted on lovely hillsides less than 2 kilometers from his winery, in the Northern Rhône. His vines produce 40% whites, and on the red side, there are superb plots of old Syrah in Saint-Joseph, which produces a generous, gourmet Cuvée du Papy. There's also Côte-Rôtie, where exuberant ageing produces fleshy wines.

In all, the estate has 38 hectares of vines and five appellations: Saint-Joseph, Cornas and Côte-Rôtie for the reds; Condrieu and Saint-Péray for the whites.

Commitments

The grapes are harvested by hand, in small crates. The grapes are picked at optimum ripeness and transported quickly and gently to preserve color, smell and taste.

The grapes undergo a double sorting process: at the foot of the vine by the pickers and then on a sorting table to guarantee selection of the best berries.

Terroir

The vineyard slopes are laid out in terraces supported by low dry-stone walls (the "chaillées"), giving the vines a beautiful South/South-East exposure. The terroir of the Saint-Joseph Nord, Côte-Rôtie and Condrieu vineyards lies on the slopes of the right bank of the Rhône.

The vineyard is planted with 100% Syrah for the red; 70% Viognier, 18% Roussanne and 12% Marsanne for the white.

The estate's terraces are located on the eastern edge of Mont Pilat (altitude 1434 m), which protects them from bad weather (one of the lowest rainfall records in the region). Overlooking the Rhône valley, the vines benefit naturally and continuously from a pure, light breeze that cleanses the berries. What's more, the Combe du Montelier flows into the Rhône corridor, maintaining cool ventilation, preserving the aromatic purity of the wines and limiting vine diseases.

The soil on the estate is predominantly crystalline in composition, i.e. it comprises plutonic magmatic rocks (Granites) and metamorphic rocks (Schists, Gneiss, Migmatites).

Wines

Stéphane Montez produces Saint Joseph wines with a dark ruby color. On the nose, intense aromas of red fruits and spices, as well as vanilla and licorice. The palate is elegant and long, with beautifully melted tannins. These character traits are typical of Cuvée Papy 2018. We might also enjoy tasting a Stéphane Saint Joseph 2019 or 2018, which will present a fruitier nose, but develop leather and licorice aromas with age.

On the white wine side, AOC Condrieu is perfectly mastered with, for example, Les Grandes Chaillées in 2018 or 2019 developing a light straw yellow color tending towards gold. The nose is flattering, with notes of acacia, honey and toast. The palate is distinguished by a minerality and tension characteristic of Condrieu wines.