Monts Luisants is a Premier Cru climat in the Cote de Nuits sub-region of Burgundy. This vineyard is one of several that sit on the higer slopes above the Grand Cru sites in the Morey-Saint-Denis appellation. While it makes some notable red wines from Pinot Noir, it is most famous for its white wines made from Chardonnay and Aligoté.

The name Monts Luisants means “Shining Slopes” – a reference to the bright golden-green Aligoté and Chardonnay vine leaves that cover the site in autumn, a stark contrast to the bright red Pinot Noir leaves.

The 5.4 hectare (13 acre) vineyard is located in the far northwestern corner of the Morey-Saint-Denis vineyard belt, on the slopes immediately above the prestigious Clos de la Roche Grand Cru climat. In fact, the lower half of the wider Monts Luisants lieu-dit is also classified as Grand Cru, falling under the Clos de la Roche title.

Higher up on the slope, above the Premier Cru section of the lieu-dit, lies a belt of village level Monts Luisants. This lies just below the trees on the top of the hill and covers just over two hectares (five acres).

Mont Luisants’ position high on the Côte d’Or hillside gives it a slightly different terroir to Clos de la Roche below. While the vineyard is still exposed to sunny eastern influences, the higher elevation means that this is tempered by a more pronounced diurnal temperature variation.

The cooler mesoclimate slows ripening in the grapes, leading to a higher level of acidity at harvest time. The resultant wines are leaner than those from the Grand Cru climats, and this is a key reason that white wine grape varieties perform well here.

The soil is typical of elevated Morey-Saint-Denis vineyards, with a thin topsoil covering limestone rock. This soil drains freely, which forces vines to work harder to extract moisture from the soil. Vines planted on these slopes put their energy into the production of small berries with a good skin to juice ratio, making complex wines.

The vineyard includes the Clos des Monts Luisants – a walled sub-section of the climat and a monopole of Domaine Ponsot. Here, a unique wine made from century-old Aligoté vines is produced, despite the fact that Aligoté has been overlooked in almost all Côte d’Or appellations in favor of Chardonnay.

The age of these Aligoté vines (the oldest were planted in 1911), and the specific nature and history of the site, presented sufficient grounds for the authorities to make an exception for this wine.

Unfortunately, white wines have taken a backseat to reds in this part of Burgundy, and white wine grape varieties have been replaced over the course of the 20th Century with Pinot Noir.

The Clos des Monts Luisants vineyard was once home to a mutated form of Pinot Noir called “Pinot Gouges” – named after its original propagator, Henri Gouges. The vines, which made up about 15 percent of the vines on the site, mysteriously began bearing white grapes in the late 1930s and continued to do so until they were uprooted and replaced with Pinot Noir in 1992.