The Mongeard family arrived in Vosne-Romanée in the 18th century, and records show a Mongeard working as vigneron for Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in 1786. In 1945, Jean Mongeard, whose mother was a Mugneret, found himself making wine at the age of 16. His father had died five years before, and there was no one left to do the job. The entire 1945 crop was purchased by Baron le Roy, Marquis d'Angerville, and Henri Gouges. Gouges instructed the young Mongeard to personally bottle the wines, rather than sell them in barrel, because of the exceptional quality of the family's wines.
Robert Parker describes the wines of the Domaine: 'The style of winemaking seems to extract rich, supple, concentrated fruit from the grapes...The wines always seem to show well young, but also age nicely for 10-15 years.'
The wonderful exposure enjoyed by the Vosne Romanée premier cru "En Orveaux" vineyards endows these wines with a deep ruby colour and aromas of red fruits, blackcurrants, and raspberries. Their robust and richly perfumed bouquet imbues them with a character at once silky and rustic. Their freshness and mellowness, combined with a certain sensuous vinosity render them a worthy rival to other Vosne Romanée premier crus. This is a supremely well-balanced wine.
The 2019 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru En Orveaux is a great success, opening in the glass with aromas of cherries, plums, and orange rind, complemented by hints of spices, smoke, and toasty new oak. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with lively acids and powdery tannins, it's elegant and nuanced. Mongeard notes that the vines in this parcel are planted north-south, which isn't a disadvantage in warm, sunny years like this.