Tasted in Tonnerre with Baudoin Millet, 06 January 2021.
Domaine Millet
Ferme de Marcault
Route de Viviers
89700 Tonnerre
Tel: +33 3 86 75 92 56
www.chablis-millet.com
More reports with Domaine Millet
Baudoin on 2022:
“2022 so far, a hint less cold than in 2021 and certainly with vines that were less advanced than last year – so less frost damage – but still… I think we can expect a minimum of 20% losses – but that’s compared to 80% last year.”
Baudoin on 2020:
“2020 volume was okay – not the maximum but acceptable. We were expecting a super-abundant vintage, like 2018. We had enough grapes but we didn’t have the volume of juice in them – it’s the third consecutive vintage of, we can say, drought during the summer – so a sunny vintage yet one with plenty of acidity and with this tension I find it a more classic vintage if we compare to 19 and 18.”
The wines…
Baudoin wasn’t immune to the greens in his entry cuvées but then the wines just get better and better – some great stuff here – as in every year!
All bottled since July. Some updates for the labels in this 2020 vintage:
2020 Petit Chablis
This wine sees elevage for the same length of time as the 1er cru.
Always floral here, this year with a little green accent but still perfumed. Bubbling with energy, melting over the palate – always excellent
2020 Petit Chablis La Perle
A later bottling with longer time on the lees. A quality clone that delivers a lower yield – – normally more round. PC is 80% of the exploitation here. The Perle a parcel selection – ‘not quite VV but some of the first plantings here in the 1980s with a fine clone giving low yields.’
A more compact nose but still with some nice perfume and no green this time. Mouth-filling, beautifully melting, an extra density to the flavours. Clearly excellent again but keep this in the cellar 12 months…
2020 Chablis
Again a nice width of perfume – airy and with a certain lemon-skin quality to the fruit. Melting over the palate – the shape of this is lovely – there’s certainly some pyrazine in there but this is deliciously flavoured. Yum!
DIAMs now start with the next wine:
2020 Chablis Vieilles Vignes
0.38 hectares of 65-year-old vines – half the rendement vs the previous parcels
Narrower and deeper nose of fine mineral clarity – becoming more airy and perfumed. Beautiful texture and shape – clarity & minerality too – juicy finishing. Still, a little structure to wait for and a suggestion of pyrazine but this is certainly an excellent Chablis, potentially with room to improve…
1 hectare of vines.
A big and forward nose – finely perfumed. A cascade of fresh, fine flavour in the mouth – citrus bitters and lots of minerality. For keeping as long as you like – or for tonight! Bravo!
Bought as grapes.
Not as forward as the Vaucoupins but with a seemingly silky and generous of width – it’s very attractive. Supple, mobile over the palate – flashes of minerals and saline accents – completely mouth-filling but never too much. Absolutely deliciously mouth-watering in the finish. A baby – but such a lovely one – potentially bravo!
Open, perfumed – as always here – a clarity though today not impact. Supple again, just a little more salinity and intensity than the Vaudésir but no less generous and mouth-watering – that’s a great finish. I have the slightest preference for this wine – today – it would be fun to compare them once a year for the next 10-20! Simply excellent-plus!