Ramonet: behind the acclaimed Burgundy estate plus 30 wines tasted

Viewed by many as one of the best white wine producers on the planet, Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet is cloaked in mystery despite a long history of making sublime wines.

Domaine Ramonet: history

The confluence of some of the world’s greatest white wine appellations and a cult-like mystique provide a compelling rationale to discover the wines of Domaine Ramonet.

The appellations include Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet and more than 20 others.

Scroll down for 30 Ramonet wine tasting notes and scores

The cult status began long ago with Pierre Ramonet, who founded the domaine officially in 1930. His passion and drive built the domaine from scratch, beginning with his first vineyard purchase in Les Grandes Ruchottes in 1934.

His first champion was Raymond Baudoin, founder of La Revue du Vin de France, who discovered his work in the 1930s. Baudoin, in turn, raised the interest of American wine importer-cum-spymaster Frank Schoonmaker. Throughout the post-war years, Ramonet continued to build his vineyard holdings and his reputation. Today, the vineyard holdings are impressive, and the reputation has never been more lustrous.

Mystique

‘The best white wine I’ve ever had’ is a big statement. Many factors come into play: how old was the bottle? When and where did you drink it? With who? It’s too difficult, perhaps, to narrow to a single bottle. Yet, if the task were a shortlist of three, it is inevitable that a wine from Domaine Ramonet would appear on very many lists, including my own. The mystique is undeniable.

As with all mysteries, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, but there are a few facts that we can ascertain.