Old Melon à Queue Rouge vines, now around 55 years old, planted on the blue marls of Montigny, a terroir Michel believes is fundamentally made for Melon. As he likes to put it: “Why make a dry Chardonnay or any Savagnin if the land is made for Melon?”. After pressing into foudre (a 1000-liter oak cask) and completing its malolactic there, the wine is raised sous voile in 400-litre barrels, where the veil forms with unusual finesse on this marl. The 2017, shaped by a frost year, is more tense than usual — powerful yet linear, high in acidity, with cool voile aromatics and notes of saffron and cardamom. It will age easily for 12–15 years, gaining more savoury length and complexity.