Domaine Arnaud Ente
Continuing, leading, and pursuing the quest for perfection and precision
Arnaud Ente has been one of the most renowned and admired producers of Burgundy. One of the reasons for this is his perfectionism and attention to detail that is almost unbelievable to most. Every single step of the winemaking process, from pruning a vine, tending his vineyard, harvesting, vinifying, to bottling his wines, is carefully thought-out and triple-checked.
Based in Meursault, Arnaud Ente and his wife, Marie-Odile, work primarily on their own to craft an elite range of micro-production Burgundies of Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet. Precision, tension, purity, elegance and finesse are the best descriptors of the Ente style.
Each vine is nurtured through every step of the yearly cycle, and each cru and village wine receives the exact same impeccable treatment, even the “entry-level” Aligoté and Bourgogne Blanc show the layered richness and complexity of a much more sophisticated appellations.
The production is small and comes from just 4 hectares of vines, which are divided across 10 small vineyards. Arnaud Ente, Marie-Odile, and their first son Pierre work together as a family along with 2 full-time employees. A total of 5 people for 4 hectares. Arnaud Ente's biggest holdings are in the village-level Meursault, in a plot called “En L'Ormeau”. This parcel is split into three categories based on the age of the vines. Hence the 3 cuvées. First the generic Meursault, followed by the old vines section called “Clos des Ambres” and finally the century vines called “Sève du Clos”. Arnaud also makes a few premier cru wines from vineyards in Meursault; “Gouttes d’Or” and Puligny-Montrachet; “Champ Gain” and “Referts”. The estate's red wine portfolio includes the Volnay 1er Cru “Les Santenots du Milieu” and Bourgogne Rouge.
They dedicate a considerable amount of time to their vineyard, up to 800 hours per year per hectare. It is almost unmatchable. As a result, all the vines are taken care of and are in pristine condition.
During harvest, all grapes are picked up by hand and put in small baskets in order not to crush them. Until 2018, the elevage of all their wines was done in large oak casks to reduce the impact of the wood and to enhance purity and tension. Since 2018, Arnaud Ente, along with the experiment of Fabien Duperray (Domaine Jules Desjourneys) and Michael Paetzold decided to switch onto ”Wine Globes” in order to reach the ultimate version of purity.
