Tasted in Meursault with Charles Ballot, 17 October 2023.
Domaine Ballot-Millot & Fils
9, rue de la Goutte d’Or
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 21 21 39
www.ballotmillot.com
Domaine’s Instagram
More reports for Domaine Ballot-Millot.
Charles on 2023:
“Tired but happy – actually very happy. Not too big volumes. The reds didn’t look as good – there was a lot of triage needed but in the end I was also happy with those.”
Charles on 2022:
“Yes, the acidities and balance really please me in 2022. Actually, it was a volume that was very similar to 2023 – the higher volume locations varied a little but I still managed 48 hl/ha in my 85 year old vines in Genevrières. The first bottlings will be done in a month – starting with the aligoté and then January to February for the villages and 1ers.”
The wines…
Always beautiful wines here – on average – excellent in 2022 – a very high average!
2022 Bourgogne Aligoté
Racked just before the harvest and on fining for the last 3 weeks.
A round and faintly reductive invitation to drink. Fine finishing – vibrant and delicious.
2022 Bourgogne Chardonnay
Multiple parcels in Meursault – and a tiny part from Puligny in 2022. So all Côte d’Or but not labelled like that.
Ooh – not a large nose but one with a very lovely width. More architectural, a structure that melts over the palate. Also a peak of fine flavour. Excellent Bourgogne!
2022 Meursault
Parcels from both sides of the village – from about 4 parcels.
Rounder, fuller and riper but still a fine crystalline yellow citrus. Here is a more direct intensity, layers of melting flavour – ooh that’s so good!
2022 Meursault Narvaux
From the bottom of parcel near Genevrières, some iron in the soil here, but it’s also a little colder area – ‘it works very well in warm years.’ This used to be later harvested but the volumes have shrunk now it’s hardly 40hl/ha so the ripeness comes earlier…’
A fuller nose – the top notes more forward, energetic and floral. Sinuous, broad, spiced bread – a very classic and very delicious villages – simply excellent – and ultra long for a villages!
2022 Meursault Les Criots
‘Vines below Santenots, but not with a deep red soil like you might expect, rather a whiter soil with lots of minerality here and soil that drains very quickly – it can suffer a bit more from the dryness here’
Broad and slightly floral. Good mouth-filling volume – slightly round but also with a growing intensity. Zesty – lovely citrus bitters here – a wine that fades quicker than the Narvaux but has more upfront attack – delicious wine.
Domaine but often sold to the négoce – kept all in 22. From the flats of Chassagne – a bit of silex and iron in this soil
Hmm – that’s got a fine and forward floral perfume. Larger scale, fine shape too – melting with mineral-accented flavour and the modest fleshiness of Chassagne. I think that’s a great villages and as long as the Narvaux too – faintly tannic finishing.
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot Tête du Clos
‘Again on white soil that helps the tension, even bringing a tannin in the finish.’ Young, 10-year-old vines
Gorgeously floral, a hint of fumé too. Wide over the palate – a panorama – mineral and sinuous. I love the modest austerity and zesty bitterness that would have me waiting 2-3 years – or simply bracing myself for this evening – another simply excellent wine – and the only part that obviously better than the villages is the length of the finish.
2022 Meursault 1er Charmes
Dessus des Charmes almost on the limit of Puligny for these vines, only 40 cm of soil then onto the rock – ‘we get an extra minerality here.’
Rounder but with a core that’s more vibrant. Ouch – for Charmes that’s properly incisive and architecturally strong – super finishing density here too – slowly, slowly fading – I think a wonderful finish!
2022 Meursault 1er Genevrières
The high part again – Dessus – and also the oldest vines here are over 85 now and still bringing 35-40 hl/ha.
Fuller, deeper aromatic – with a little creamy oak in this depth. The volume of the last with a more open impression but still fine intensity. A finish that’s panoramic – such promise here!
2022 Meursault 1er Les Perrières
‘Always very small grapes in these vines.’ Near the Clos des Perrières. The SO4 rootstock of these is a little later to start its growth phase
Finer, less impact – quite an airy nose – but with some lovely white flower perfume. Here is also a structure more like the Charmes – the flavour properly mineral then a reprise of the flowers from the nose. Narrower but haunting length – this just goes on and on…
Les Reds:
Racked the week before my visit…
2022 Volnay 1er Santenots
Quite young vines – 21 years old at the bottom to mid-slope. Red soil, just before Santenots du Milieu. Fast maturing – always one of the earliest parcels harvested. The yield reduced in recent years by training in cordon.
A width of shy aromas – but almost silky – only very slowly a more violet flowers rise from the glass. Cool, calm but slowly growing in energy – this is certainly a wine of width and slowly melting shape over the palate. Calm but finely wrought. I think it lovely – the fruit overtly red at the end!
2022 Beaune 1er Epenottes
Directly a more perfumed and forward wine – the fruit a little darker red here. A more structured wine – as it’s location next to Pommard Epenots may suggest. Dark fruit again – but complex and with a texture of velour. A hint of graphite and a width of slowly fading dark fruit in this excellent finish.
2022 Pommard 1er Charmots
Calm, silky, fresh – a lovely invitation. A structural wine but also one of energy and super complexity – it’s one to wait for with some complex finishing and middle bitters – but completely delicious – just a hint more austere today. I love it but be patient!