My Day with Noël Ramonet

June 24, 2020

By Daniel Johnnes

The Best Deal of My Life!

In the winter of 1989 I made one of my regular trips to Burgundy to taste the previous vintage. I made my usual stops to taste wines in the Côte de Nuits some days. domaines such as Roumier, Grivot, Mugnier, Rousseau, Dujac, L’Arlot and DRC. I would dedicate other days to domaines in the Côte de Beaune. Domaines such as Comtes Lafon, Roulot, Leflaive, Gagnard-Delagrange, D’Angerville, Lafarge, Pousse d’Or and many others over a 4-5 day stretch.

I learned to schedule my tasting at Domaine Ramonet at the end of the day as these tastings usually went on for several hours and made it impossible to taste anywhere else after this marathon visit. Noël was always generous with his time and wine. Not only would we taste through the entire range of appellations, including the Grand Cru, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet and Le Montrachet but often we would taste multiple barrels of the same wine as he bought barrels from a wide range of ‘tonneliers’. And then, we would go back to appellations already tasted but from a different vintage (or two or three!).

On this particular day, I arrived with my embroidered jacket from Restaurant Montrachet where I was the sommelier. It was winter and the weather was typical Burgundy damp and bone chilling. It was getting late and I had to leave for Paris early in the morning for my flight home.

After the tasting and about to get in my car, Noël stops me and says, “Hé Daniel, donnes-moi ton blouson!” (Hey Daniel, let me have your jacket). I told him it was cold and couldn’t give to him but I would stop by in the morning on my way to the train. So, the next day, I stopped by looking for him and after about 30 minutes he comes out from the cellar. He was clearly expecting me because, just as I handed him my jacket he gave me a box containing two bottles of wine. I wasn’t expecting anything but when I opened it later to see what my gift was, I was pleasantly surprised to see two bottles of Montrachet. One bottle of 1984 and one bottle of 1983. Now, anyone who knows the 1983 Montrachet from Ramonet, this is one of the most special bottles of white Burgundy ever made!!! Merci Noël.

There is more to the story, so, stay tuned for part 2.