Tastedin Chambolle-Musigny with Julien Millet, 09 February 2024.
Domaine François Millet et Fils
15 rue du Carré
Chambolle-Musigny
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Julien on 2022:
“From our depth of production in the frosty 2021 vintage – about 6.5k bottles – we are back to 10k. That’s the most that we’ve ever made and that is about where we want to be. It’s the freshness, elegance and finesse that the vintage brings coupled to concentration too. Wines that are easy to approach but don’t lack complexity. Our wines are still in barrel – always longer elevage here so we won’t bottle until May – it was in June for 2021s. I think the volatiles a little less ‘stable’ for the 22s – so May is a good timing to still express the terroirs.”
The wines…
A highly successful range – delicious but far from simple wines – there is much to love here in 2022 !!
2022 Volnay Des Grands Poisots
Large – very open, darker red fruit aromas. Hmm, here is fine balanced concentration but also with a beautiful texture – that’s such an impressive villages wine. Slightly spiced but what fine clarity of finishing fruit too!
2022 Volnay 1er Clos des Angles
A nose that’s much more panoramic. A fizz of gas adds to the energy of this one. A super laser beam of finishing intensity – that’s a great finish!
2022 Beaune 1er Champimonts
There’s a little reduction at the base of this but what a bell-clear and beautiful top perfume of fruit and flowers. Incisive, there’s a vibrant intensity to this wine – then a breadth of fine finishing flavour. I love this finish – it’s an acid-forward wine – but what a wine!!
2022 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Petite Vigne
A plain west-facing area as you head up the Combe from Chambolle towards Villars Fontaine
Plenty of width, yet a less forward nose. The structure is more visible but with clarity to these flavours too – cool fruit, slightly mineral. I think that’s a simply wonderful Bourgogne
2022 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Martennes
Broader, deeper nose – pushed by a small reduction. More mouth-filling aided by an extra visibility to the structure – an extra power – different more than better – but it’s also a beauty.
2022 Bourgogne Les Rues
Separated from Chambolles les Athets and Herbues by the road.
Also a little reduction but here is a fuller and more enchanting aromatic. I like the structure here – there’s a proper but not overdone rigour. That’s a super finishing complexity.
2022 Marsannay En Poteys
On the left in Couchey as you head to Marsannay.
Hmm – width and fine perfume – no reduction here. A little extra tannin – but there’s no grain. Mouth-filling, more comfort to the texture but with depth to this flavour too. Delicious wine – with a little kick of finishing bitters today.
2022 Fixin l’Olivier
A more airy width but there’s also more clarity to the red fruit in this one. Architectural, cool, fresh fruit finishing nicely chalky.
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Croix des Champs
Deeper soils for this one vs their other Gevrey
A complex nose, almost a little rolling tobacco aroma. Supple, silky, 2 mm (not 2.5!) of cushion to this texture and concentration – extra red finishing intensity – another that’s more acid-led in the finish – but what a wine, again!
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin Le Fourneau
The other side of the RN974 but effectively (well) below Chapelle-Chambertin. This has much more limestone in the soil and François decided that this one needed its pigeage, and there is a little more colour here – ‘the former has light, this is more sombre’
A different world – of more floral -inflected almost blue-accented red fruit. A bundle of mouth-filling energy here – this is so good – you will forget your dining companions for time here as this wine will drown out their conversation – and it’s delicious too.
Vines quite close to 1er Borniques. It’s relatively central and there’s a lot of limestone here.
A fuller nose – more similar to Croix des Champs than Fournaux – fine clarity of red fruit perfume again. Broad, almost incisive – intensity that won’t cause you pain but will make you notice – slowly fading, wide and long, almost contemplative despite the preceding intensity – yes!
Les Whites:
2022 Bourgogne Haute Côte de Nuits En Vallerots Blanc
There’s a little generosity to the aroma but it’s a great invitation – a ‘yes!’ Complex, more direct than the nose implied, more saline and mineral too. I’d keep this 2 years – This could be simply excellent…
From here in Chambolle
This is more direct and certainly a little mineral – faintly citrus too of course. Generous, but fine and direct – chiselled. Great Aligoté!
2022 Marsannay La Croix du Bois Blanc
Relatively high vines – almost in Couchey
Narrower but deeper aromas – there’s an implied cushioning here. Hmm- concentrated for sure but with a leading edge of acidity to the flavour that avoids any notion of rich – and it widens as it approaches the finish. Holding excellently – that’s super.
2022 Montagny 1er Les Chaniots
More airy but there’s more volume of aroma too. Extra clarity – hmm, that’s lovely – a tiny rigour that’s more positive than negative – juicy finishing. I like that even more – excellent Montagny!