Domaine Ramonet

Pierre Ramonet (1906 to 1994) created the domaine in the late 1920s, according to the Chassagne-Montrachet producers' page; Decanter dates the official founding to 1930. His first vineyard purchase came in 1934 at Les Grandes Ruchottes, and some of the earliest plots there were cleared and planted by Pierre 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. Throughout the post-war years, Ramonet continued to build his vineyard holdings and his reputation.

• Created in the late 1920s (Chassagne-Montrachet producers' page); Decanter dates the official founding to 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 connected Pierre to importer Frank Schoonmaker
• Pierre Ramonet lived 1906 to 1994

Pierre's son Andre was involved in the estate for a time, but the true 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 domaine's 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 as Jean-Claude Ramonet.

• Andre Ramonet (Pierre's son) was involved for a time; true succession passed to grandsons Noel and Jean-Claude, who joined in 1983
• Since the 2014 vintage the wines carry the Jean-Claude Ramonet name as Noel stepped back from day-to-day operations
• Anne-France joined in 2016, later Clarisse; team of seven in the vineyard and two in the office per Decanter
• Noel's sons Michael and Pierre-Francois are also full team members per Jasper Morris's Inside Burgundy
• Decanter's infobox lists the owners as Noel and Jean-Claude Ramonet and the winemaker as Jean-Claude Ramonet

The domaine is based in Chassagne-Montrachet, but its grand cru vineyards sit within neighboring Puligny-Montrachet. The Batard-Montrachet parcels (three of them) and the 0.45-hectare Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet holding were purchased from Domaine Henri Coquet in the 1950s. The Montrachet parcel, lying between the Bouchard holdings and those of Boillerault de Chauvigny, was purchased 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 additional Chassagne-Montrachet premier cru vines were added 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, following FICOFI's purchase of 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; Jasper Morris's Inside Burgundy identifies this same 2014 acquisition as including the Clos des Caillerets, entered in Jean-Claude Ramonet's own name. On total estate size, sources differ: Decanter's infobox lists 19.75 hectares under vine, while the Chassagne-Montrachet producers' page states 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 (Jasper Morris's Inside Burgundy vineyard table)
• Batard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Batard-Montrachet purchased from Domaine Henri Coquet in the 1950s; Montrachet purchased 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
• Area under vine reported as 19.75 ha (Decanter) or 17 ha (Chassagne-Montrachet producers' page); 6.79 ha of red-wine vines, including 2.39 ha across Clos St-Jean, Clos de la Boudriotte and Morgeot

The domaine's philosophy emphasizes respecting the diversity of its terroirs, with sustainable practices, tillage and controlled yields; harvest is done by hand. Grapes are lightly crushed before pressing and the must is not settled before fermentation. Very little sulphite is used, with the total quantity reduced each year, and fermentation is usually started in tank before finishing in cask. New oak is used modestly: about 5 percent for the Bourgogne bottling and 25 to 35 percent for the premiers crus, with only the Montrachet fermented and aged entirely in new casks. The wines are aged on most of their lees, seldom stirred, and left as long as possible without racking, for a typical elevage of about 18 months (12 to 18 months depending on the appellation, per the Chassagne-Montrachet producers' page). This lees-aging, no-battonage approach is credited with largely sparing Ramonet the premature-oxidation ('premox') problems that struck other white Burgundy producers from the mid-1990s, though the domaine reportedly had some cork-related 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 battonage, typically about 18 months (12 to 18 months depending on appellation)
• Lees-aging approach credited with largely avoiding premox, despite some cork issues reported in the 1990s

Jasper Morris's Inside Burgundy describes the white wines as 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 also finds the reds have a Cote de Nuits-like fruit quality rarely found elsewhere at this end of the Cote de Beaune, with the Clos de la Boudriotte singled out as a clear exception. Decanter's Charles Curtis MW goes further, calling the reds the domaine's most overlooked wines. Chassagne-Montrachet itself 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.

• 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)
• Reds described as having a Cote de Nuits-like fruit quality rare for this end of the Cote de Beaune; Clos de la Boudriotte cited as the clear exception (Jasper Morris)
• Decanter's Charles Curtis MW 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 2026-09-14.