The Aux Malconsorts “Christiane” is one of Burgundy’s most captivating micro-parcels — a small sliver of vineyard separated from the main Aux Malconsorts by nothing more than a narrow path, lying directly beside the hallowed La Tâche Grand Cru. In the hands of Domaine de Montille, it becomes a singular and almost spiritual expression of Vosne-Romanée — more ethereal, more haunting, and perhaps even more profound than its sibling.
The story of Christiane begins in 2005, when Étienne de Montille acquired a 0.48-hectare plot that had long been part of the original Malconsorts vineyard but was legally defined as a separate holding. He named it after his mother, Christiane de Montille, as both tribute and statement — an acknowledgment that this was not simply another cuvée, but something distinct and deeply personal.
The terroir mirrors the proximity to La Tâche: a touch more clay, slightly deeper soil, and a cooler exposition, giving wines of darker fruit, more spice, and greater structure, without losing Vosne’s trademark perfume. The vines are farmed biodynamically, yields are minuscule, and each vintage is crafted with the same precision that defines the domaine’s work — careful sorting, whole-cluster fermentation, native yeasts, gentle extraction, and 16–18 months’ ageing in fine-grained French oak (roughly 30% new).
In the glass, Christiane is both familiar and otherworldly: black cherry, wild rose, sandalwood, and Asian spice, with undertones of iron and crushed stone. The texture is sensual yet taut, with that slow, coiled energy that only the best Vosne wines possess. Where the main Aux Malconsorts can feel confident and muscular, Christiane whispers — fine-boned, layered, and almost weightless in its precision.
With age, the wine becomes transcendent: truffle, cigar box, and exotic spice unfurl through an endless finish, framed by tannins that melt like silk. It is a wine that speaks softly but stays with you — La Tâche’s quiet neighbour, every bit its equal in emotion if not in fame.
Domaine de Montille’s Aux Malconsorts “Christiane” is more than a rarity; it is a window into the soul of Vosne-Romanée itself — intimate, elusive, and profoundly moving.
