The domaine du Monteillet has belonged to the Villard family for no less than 5 centuries and nine generations! The family’s most well-known member is Louis Hector, duke of Villard and Louis XIV’s Marshall of France (1653-1734). Stéphane Montez has been running the property since 1997, having travelled the world to work in all sorts of different vineyards. His experience in the four corners of the world allowed him to develop new techniques in the family property and to respond to potential climatic difficulties. The vineyard is spread over 14 hectares and three appellations (Côte Rôtie, Saint-Joseph, Condrieu).

Les Bons Arrêts is a one-hectare lieu-dit nestled at the heart of the Côte-Rôtie appellation on the right bank of the Rhône. Facing south-east, it stretches across a dizzyingly steep slope, requiring backbreaking, entirely manual work. The Monticello estate owns this entire vineyard, cultivating Syrah and Viognier on terraces supported by dry-stone walls. The hand-harvested grapes are carefully sorted both in the vineyard and again on a vibrating sorting table in the winery before being entirely destemmed. Fermentations are triggered by native yeasts and last three to four weeks, with no punching down but a submerged cap. The wine is then transferred to barrels for a 20-month ageing period in the estate’s 17th-century cellars.
Bons Arrêts (where a touch of Viognier complements the Syrah) delivers remarkable fruit purity and a nose marked by blackcurrant, spices, and smoky, bacon-like notes. The palate offers an exquisitely silky texture, where power is balanced by a fine acidity. An extremely elegant wine that lingers beautifully on the palate.