2018 Monthélie-Douhairet-Porcheret Les Serpens Volnay 750 ml

Monthélie-Douhairet-Porcheret’s 2018 Les Serpens is an elegant and complex treasure, unearthed from a tiny vineyard bordering some of Volnay’s best terroir. It’s the kind of painstakingly crafted, micro-production discovery that tends to disappear into the cellars of collectors and Michelin-starred restaurants, never to appear at retail… Today, we got a share. 

Only 75 cases of this wine exist, and only 15 made it to the US, where they immediately landed on The French Laundry’s radar. We caught wind that the Michelin three-star restaurant wanted the whole allocation to pour by the glass, but after being enthralled by Les Serpens’ savory depths and fresh acidity, we simply couldn’t let it escape Wine Access members. So we acted fast, and grabbed an allocation.

When the wine hits your glass, you’ll understand exactly what enamored us and TFL, and why top restaurants like Nomad, Eleven Madison Park, and Tribeca Grill keep Monthélie-Douhairet-Porcheret wines on their tables. Drawn from less than half an acre, the wine shows alluring aromas of raspberry, rose, grapefruit peel, Earl Grey tea, and spice. The palate balances lively acidity with gentle tannins in perfect harmony, showing the depth and restraint of Burgundy’s most outstanding Pinots. 

Those top sommeliers don’t just know spectacular wine, they know how to uncover under-the-radar values, and the tiny Les Serpens vineyard delivers. In the heart of Volnay, it shares a border with the Premier Cru Les Mitans, a coveted site whose wines can go for $150 and more. 

Known for producing some of the most elegant and silky Pinots in the Côte de Beaune, Volnay has no Grand Crus, which means the village’s Premier Crus are the best of the best, and Les Serpens is right next door, harnessing similar terroir but producing a wine that’s half the price.  

With wines this incredible, it’s only a matter of time before Monthélie-Douhairet-Porcheret’s popularity extends beyond the sommelier set. Take it from Wine Advocate, who said “this estate and the talented vigneronne who directs it fly somewhat under the radar, but that's sure to change.” And when it does, 15-case allotments like this will be harder and harder to come by. Stock up now and you’ll have the wine safely stowed in the cellar when collectors start clamoring for it. 

That vigneronne, Cataldina Lippo, trained for years under her grandfather Andre Porcheret, a legendary and revolutionary Burgundy winemaker who crafted some of Domaine Leroy’s most distinguished wines. Together, they employ sustainable farming methods and a meticulous winemaking approach. 

They hand-pick and hand-sort their Pinot Noir, destemming them completely, giving this wine its suppleness and elegance. After fermentation in wood vats, they age the wine in oak for an average of 18 months, gifting the wine with spicy nuances and ensuring immaculate balance in the glass. We’ve grabbed a few cases from the hands of the nation’s top restaurants, but they won’t last long here either.