Hubert de Montille, the retired proprietor of Domaine de Montille, one of Volnay’s top estates, died Nov. 1. He was 84.

De Montille was enjoying lunch with close friends, drinking his Pommard Rugiens 1999 when his heart gave out, his son Etienne told Wine Spectator.

The iconoclastic and cantankerous de Montille was born into a family of aristocrats and prominent lawyers in 1930 and assumed the reins of the domaine in 1947 at the age of 17. Once consisting of 85 acres, the winery's vineyards had been sold gradually as the family needed money. By the time Hubert took charge, only 7 acres remained.

The ’47 vintage was famous for its extreme heat. De Montille had to leave the grapes in the courtyard at night to cool them by morning. His strategy was a success and the wines aged beautifully.

Over the years, he halted the decay and righted the domaine’s sinking fortunes by improving the winemaking, bottling the wines himself rather than selling them to négociants and building a reputation for Volnay and Pommard capable of aging for decades.

However, with only 7 acres of vines to live off of, de Montille followed the family tradition and became a lawyer. He commuted between his practice in Dijon and Volnay, where he made wines that reflected the individual vineyard holdings.

He discovered that wines with less chaptalization aged more gracefully and the winery became known for Volnays and Pommards of finesse and delicacy, a reputation that soon put Domaine de Montille among an elite list of properties in Burgundy.

Under Hubert’s management and eventually his son Etienne’s, Domaine de Montille regained its former prominence, growing from that 7 acres in 1947 to its current 86.5 acres. Hubert was a staunch defender of its terroirs, even to the point where he matched each of his Volnays or Pommards with different dishes.

De Montille is survived by his children, Etienne and Alix, who co-own Domaine de Montille and Château de Puligny-Montrachet.