Domaine Ramonet

Pierre Ramonet (1906 to 1994) created the domaine in the late 1920s and founded it officially in 1930. His first vineyard purchase came in 1934 at Les Grandes Ruchottes, and he cleared and planted some of the earliest plots there himself. His first champion was Raymond Baudoin, founder of La Revue du Vin de France, who discovered his work in the 1930s and in turn interested the American wine importer Frank Schoonmaker in the estate. Through the post-war years, Ramonet kept building his vineyard holdings and his reputation.

• Created in the late 1920s; founded officially in 1930
• First vineyard purchase 1934 at Les Grandes Ruchottes, some plots cleared and planted by Pierre himself
• Early champion Raymond Baudoin of La Revue du Vin de France interested importer Frank Schoonmaker in the wines
• Pierre Ramonet lived 1906 to 1994

Pierre's son Andre was involved in the estate for a time, but the succession passed to the next generation: grandsons Noel and Jean-Claude Ramonet, who began working alongside Andre in 1983. Since the 2014 vintage, Noel has stepped back from day-to-day operations, and the wines have carried the Jean-Claude Ramonet name. Jean-Claude has since been joined by his daughters Anne-France, since 2016, and Clarisse, completing a team of seven in the vineyard and two in the office. Noel's sons, Michael and Pierre-Francois, and Jean-Claude's daughter Anne-France are now full members of the team. All the wines, whether originally belonging to Domaine Ramonet or acquired in Jean-Claude's own name, are now labelled Jean-Claude Ramonet.

• Andre Ramonet (Pierre's son) was involved for a time; succession passed to grandsons Noel and Jean-Claude, who joined in 1983
• Since the 2014 vintage the wines carry the Jean-Claude Ramonet name, with Noel stepped back from day-to-day operations
• Daughters Anne-France (since 2016) and Clarisse have joined; the team numbers seven in the vineyard and two in the office
• Noel's sons Michael and Pierre-Francois are also full team members
• Noel and Jean-Claude Ramonet are the owners; Jean-Claude Ramonet is the winemaker

The domaine is based in Chassagne-Montrachet, but its grand cru vineyards lie within neighboring Puligny-Montrachet. The three Batard-Montrachet parcels and the 0.45-hectare Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet holding were bought from Domaine Henri Coquet in the 1950s. The Montrachet parcel, between the Bouchard holdings and those of Boillerault de Chauvigny, was bought in 1978, reportedly for cash. The Chevalier-Montrachet sliver came from a vine exchange with Domaine Jean Chartron, about twenty years after the Montrachet purchase. St-Aubin Le Charmois and more Chassagne-Montrachet premier cru vines followed in the early 1990s, Bouzeron entered the range in 2011, and Ramonet has vinified the hectare of Pernand-Vergelesses Les Belles Filles since 2012. In 2014 a metayage agreement with FICOFI and its investors, after FICOFI bought the vineyards from Vincent Girardin, brought Clos du Cailleret, Abbaye de Morgeot and the Saint-Aubin premiers crus En Remilly and Murgers des Dents de Chien into the portfolio; the Clos des Caillerets (ex Vincent Girardin) came in under Jean-Claude Ramonet's own name that same year. Figures for total area differ: Decanter gives 19.75 hectares under vine, while the Chassagne-Montrachet producers' page gives 17 hectares across Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, Saint-Aubin, Bouzeron and Pernand-Vergelesses. Ramonet owns 6.79 hectares of red-wine vines, including 2.39 hectares in the premier crus Clos St-Jean, Clos de la Boudriotte and Morgeot.

• Le Montrachet Grand Cru: 0.26 ha; Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru: 0.09 ha; Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru: 0.64 ha; Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru: 0.45 ha
• Batard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet bought from Domaine Henri Coquet in the 1950s; Montrachet bought in 1978, reportedly for cash; Chevalier-Montrachet from a vine exchange with Domaine Jean Chartron
• St-Aubin Le Charmois and more Chassagne premiers crus (early 1990s); Bouzeron (2011); Pernand-Vergelesses Les Belles Filles vinified since 2012
• 2014 metayage with FICOFI (ex Vincent Girardin vineyards) added Clos du Cailleret, Abbaye de Morgeot, St-Aubin En Remilly and St-Aubin Murgers des Dents de Chien
• Total area under vine given as 17 or 19.75 ha; 6.79 ha of red-wine vines, including 2.39 ha across Clos St-Jean, Clos de la Boudriotte and Morgeot

The domaine farms with sustainable practices, tillage and controlled yields to respect the diversity of its terroirs, and harvests by hand. Grapes are lightly crushed before pressing and the must is not settled before fermentation. Very little sulphite is used, with the total reduced each year, and fermentation usually starts in tank and finishes in cask. New oak is used modestly: about 5 percent for the Bourgogne and 25 to 35 percent for the premiers crus, with only the Montrachet fermented and aged entirely in new casks. The wines age on most of their lees, are seldom stirred and are left as long as possible without racking, typically for about 18 months; barrel aging runs 12 to 18 months depending on the appellation. Decanter credits this lees-aging, no-batonnage approach with sparing Ramonet the widespread premature oxidation ('premox') that struck white Burgundy from the mid-1990s, though the domaine seems to have had some cork issues of its own in that decade.

• Grapes lightly crushed before pressing; must not settled before fermentation; fermentation started in tank, finished in cask
• New oak: about 5 percent for Bourgogne, 25 to 35 percent for premiers crus, only the Montrachet entirely new oak
• Elevage on lees without batonnage, typically about 18 months (12 to 18 months depending on appellation)
• Decanter credits the lees-aging approach with largely avoiding premox, despite some cork issues in the 1990s

Jasper Morris calls the white wines highly individual: in blind tastings they historically needed time to shed a strongly mentholated character, then would blossom and frequently take first place by the end of the evening. Morris finds a Cote de Nuits-like fruit quality in the reds that is rarely found elsewhere at this end of the Cote de Beaune, and singles out the Clos de la Boudriotte as a clear exception. Decanter's profile calls the reds the domaine's most overlooked wines. Chassagne-Montrachet had a strong reputation for red wine through the 18th and 19th centuries, and Dr. Lavalle's authoritative 1855 book on Burgundy rated three of its climats Hors Ligne, his top classification.

• Jasper Morris: the whites historically needed aeration time to shed a mentholated character, then would blossom and often take first place by the end of a tasting
• Jasper Morris: the reds have a Cote de Nuits-like fruit quality rare for this end of the Cote de Beaune, with the Clos de la Boudriotte a clear exception
• Decanter's profile calls the reds the domaine's most overlooked wines
• Chassagne-Montrachet had a strong 18th- and 19th-century reputation for red wine; three climats rated Hors Ligne in Dr. Lavalle's 1855 book

Primary identification: no independently verifiable official website was found for Domaine Ramonet as of this rebuild (see notes.md). This article is sourced instead to the Chassagne-Montrachet appellation producers' page and two independent wine-press profiles. Sources: https://www.chassagne-montrachet.com/en/producteurs/domaine-ramonet-2/ (fetched 2026-09-14); https://insideburgundy.com/overview/domaine-ramonet/ (fetched 2026-09-14, Jasper Morris, updated by that site September 2022); https://www.decanter.com/premium/ramonet-behind-the-acclaimed-burgundy-estate-plus-30-wines-tasted-457169/ (fetched 2026-09-14). Last verified 2026-10-12.