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Wine Description
The Story
Domaine Ramonet produces 24 Appellation wines from 40 Acres located primarily near the hamlets of Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet in the southern part of the Côte de Beaune region in Burgundy. Parcels of vineyards were progressively acquired since the first acquisition in 1934, the most recent being Bouzeron in the Côte Chalonnaise.
The Montrachet vineyard, at an altitude of 820 to 885 feet, produces the finest expression of the Chardonnay grape anywhere on earth. It owes its name to Mont-Rachet or Bald Hill as the soils are poor, thin and lie on hard limestones traversed by a layer of reddish marls, with the best slope in its area versus the other neighboring Grands Crus. Its origin dates back to the Middle Ages in the 15th Century. Its status was first recognized as a Grand Cru in 1937, which was subsequently cemented in the mid-20th century with a number of great vintages.
Buying into a Montrachet plot of land was usually something that only the most wealthy and ambitious producers attempted, but Ramonet’s purchase in 1978 is one of the most legendary stories in Burgundy. When Père Ramonet, 72 years of age, grandfather of Noël & Jean-Claude, walked into a lawyer’s office in Beaune, he paid entirely in cash and then excused himself to return to the familiarity of his vineyards and cellar.
Vintage 2004
2004 VINTAGE in Burgundy
2004 will be remembered as the year of wonderful surprises. The month of September was hot, dry and sunny contributing to an excellent harvest which in turn gave birth to fruity, elegant wines.
The harvest started on the 13th September in Burgundy, the Mâconnais and the Côte Chalonnaise during a long awaited spell of mild weather following a summer characterised by climatic instability.
These conditions slowed down the colouring of the grapes, disturbed the start of ripening and provided ideal conditions for the development of oidium. Luckily the return of a long period of warmth and sun from the beginning of September onwards accelerated the ripening process with a sharp increase in sugars.
This summery weather accompanied by a warm drying wind also allowed for the vines to maintain a satisfactory sanitary state. The hailstorms unfortunately destroyed a number of important parcels in the Mâconnais and in the vineyards of the Côte d?Or at different stages of their vegetative cycle. Contrary to 2003, nature showed herself to be kind and the wine-growers had to go ahead with intensive green harvesting to control the yields, taking off the damaged grapes or leaf-thinning.
In mid-september estimations put the forthcoming harvest at about 10% above that of an average harvest.
Although the particularly successful 2002 and 2003 vintages are tasting beautifully at the moment, it is still to early to define the profile for the 2004 vintage.
We will have to wait until after various tastings in November in Beaune, Chablis and in the Auxerrois region before getting a preliminary idea of the qualities of the 2004 harvest.