Great wine is wine that can live through several generations of its creators.
The legendary Domaine Ramonet, founded by Pierre Ramonet in the 1920s, remains outstanding to this day. Its wines were the first white wines from Burgundy to be bottled at the domaine and exported to the USA – a fact William Kelley mentions in his essay.
But this wine is especially interesting because Pierre Ramonet acquired his small plot in Montrachet in 1978, and the first vintage was made in that same year.
This bottle of Bâtard‑Montrachet was made in the very same year. At the helm stood Pierre’s son, André Ramonet. Today this wine is already a relic, and bottles in this condition can be found only with old collectors. The colour alone in the bottle says it all.
Today the domaine is run by André’s son, Jean‑Claude Ramonet, and his daughter Anne‑France. I am more than confident that the current wines of the domaine will be just like those of Pierre and André. This is the genesis of a great domaine.
Text and photo by Greg Somm
