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Monopole


A Fench term referring to a single vineyard or Climat with just one owner.

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A Fench term referring to a single vineyard or Climat with just one owner.

Most commonly used in Burgundy where vineyard holdings have been divided through hereditary title. Upon the death of the owner the land is split equally between all children. It is common for a single vineyard to have multiple owners. The Grand Cru, Chambertin, in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin had 23 owners with 40 producers last time I looked. Each owner may have as little as a few rows of vines yielding just enough fruit to make a single barrel of wine.

Famous Monopoles include La Romanée-Conti, La Tâche (both owned by Domaine de la Romanée Conti) and La Grand Rue (Francois LaMarche) in Vosne-Romanée, Clos de Tart (owned by Francois Pinot of Latour since 2017) in Morey-Saint-Denis, and, Clos des Ruchottes (Armand Rousseau) in Gevrey-Chambertin.

Outside Burgundy think  Clos de la Coulée de Serrant, Château-Grillet and Trimbach’s Clos Sainte Hune.

Some clearly denote Monopole on the label others do not.

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Domaine Trapet Père et Fils Chambertin Grand Cru 2019

Pinot Noir | Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy

"Trapet's 2019 Chambertin Grand Cru is a profound wine in the making, and it can keeps company with vintage's finest. Wafting from the glass with deep aromas of cherries and cassis, complemented by notions of raw cocoa, blood orange, smoked meats, rich soil tones and spices, it's full-bodied, multidimensional and complete, with a weightless, elegant profile despite its prodigious concentration, its structuring tannins entirely concealed in an ample core of lively, vibrant fruit."William Kell
"A bottling that regularly excels chez Dauvissat, the 2017 Chablis 1er Cru Séchet opens in the glass with delicate aromas of citrus peel, grapefruit, crisp green apples and white flowers, with only subtle hints of the oyster shell to come. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and concentrated, with a deep and tight-knit core, striking tension and a searingly mineral finish. Séchet—where Dauvissat owns a 0.8-hectare parcel—is located in the Vaillons Valley, but its windier situ
Stéphane Moreau called Forêts “…one of the greatest terroirs of Chablis.” It’s a historical sub-plot within the 1er Cru Montmains, located high up the slope and facing southeast. It can certainly produce Chablis of the highest order, as both Dauvissat and Moreau have shown many times (Raveneau also has a small parcel). Moreau farms two plots of vines here, over a total of just under two hectares. The first is alongside the vineyard of Vincent Dauvissat, and the vines are the s
$177
$170ea in any 3+
$163ea in any 6+

Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru ‘Les Champeaux’ 2018

Pinot Noir | Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy

With its eroded limestone walls covered in creepers and wild flowers, this is one of Gevrey's most picturesque vineyards. It is situated up high, on the border of Brochon next to Les Evocelles, in what is simply the most beautiful part of Gevrey. The vines here are now 80 years old and the soils are very stony with red clays, and the mother-rock very close to the surface. Mortet ploughs his four small plots (totaling 0.5-hectares) by horse.This is a site that typically delivers very small be
$680
$660ea in any 3+
$640ea in any 6+