Hubert de Montille - Droit comme la justice

Hubert de Montille is a man of conviction. Throughout his life, this lawyer defended his ideas with force and passion. Evidently, his children could not renounce the character their father transmitted to them. This character is found today in Alix’s chardonnays and Etienne’s pinot noirs. He gladly admits – when his children are not in the room – that he is a happy man. His Domaine, which at one time was just a toy, of sorts, is today a bona fide family business.


Hubert has two loves : his career in law, which paid the bills, and his vines. Hence, he led a double life as both attorney and winemaker. If his lawyering career reached its pinnacle in the 1980s while he was defending the Laroche family in the Grégory Villemin case, it never set aside his crazy idea to rebuild his family Domaine, which had disappeared like smoke after a series of crises and successions. The Domaine, which formerly counted 12 hectares, was at its smallest size ever. When Hubert began to rebuild the Domaine’s destiny, the de Montille vineyards were less than three hectares. This was a situation Hubert had difficulty accepting. Between legal proceedings, Hubert did not cease to restore the family treasure, once the owner of great vines, notably in the famous Musigny vineyard. Passionate and pugnacious, the attorney became a pioneer, especially in his ardent defense of the notion of terroir and the idea that wines should be made to age, guaranteeing - according to him - the authenticity of Burgundy. He jokes quite a bit about having a pre-war mentality with his leaner style of winemaking. He knows the Domaine works more toward suppleness today, but he remains firmly attached to his principles.

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