Deux Montille Soeur et Frere is a recently established small, high quality negociant business; the product of a partnership between sister and brother – Alix and Etienne. Alix is responsible for all of the white wines of the Maison, which is to say – all but one single red wine made by Etienne. Over the years Alix and her brother have shared knowledge and experience about growing grapes and making wine with many other prominent Burgundians; among them – Jean-Marc Roulot, Alix’s husband, who has contributed substantially to their expertise in white wine production. Alix honed her skills as a winemaker while working at Ropiteau before founding Maison Deux Montille. Deux Montille made its debut with the 2003 vintage. The range of appellations has increased since then while production remains limited and focused primarily on white wines. The philosophy of the house will continue to be one of “haute couture”.

The two Montilles are committed to buying only grapes and not must. Picking is done by a team directed by Alix. A slow gentle pressing is performed by pneumatic press after which the fine lees are selected and separated for use in barrel aging. Generous use of these lees allows the wines to take what they need gradually rather than being force-fed through battonage. Fermentations are carried out exclusively in barrel – slowly at low temperature, using only the naturally occurring yeasts. The elevage lasts for 11 to 17 months and employs limited use of new wood – ranging from 10% to 25%. Each barrel is treated first with a saline solution and then rinsed carefully which removes the influence of any coarse wood tannins. Malolactic fermentation is carried out in barrel and each wine is fined and the whites are cold-filtered with Kieselgur. In general, technological intervention is avoided in favor of letting the wine develop naturally.

The intent is to approach each vintage with sensitivity and to adapt vinification practices to the material at hand rather than consistently applying any strict rules of methodology. The ultimate aim is to produce wines of great aromatic purity and finesse with length and intensity on the palate rather than size or weight. Building on the results achieved in their first vintages, the two Montilles have gone from strength to strength.