Tasted in Meursault with Charles Ballot, 19 October 2022.
Domaine Ballot-Millot & Fils
9, rue de la Goutte d’Or
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 21 21 39
www.ballotmillot.com
More reports for Domaine Ballot-Millot.
Charles on 2021:
“I’ve never seen such a low volume at the domaine. We had much less than in 2016 – to compare with that year we had more volume in the villages, just, in 2016 – but all the others were not so badly affected as in 2021. I still chose to press everything separately and chose not to blend the usual cuvées together – Though I had to buy some smaller tanks to accommodate that! There’s no new oak in 2021. Some malos were quite long in this vintage – as late as the start of July for some.”
The wines…
I think that here is a very impressive return in the challenge that was 2021. Some of Charles’ best cuvées still needed a bit more elevage, but I’m sure that there will be more greatness here than my conservative notes of the wines on the day I tasted!
2021 Bourgogne Chardonnay
Racked just before the harvest – multiple parcels in Meursault – and a tiny part from Puligny in 2021.
Broad, a little muscle, great flavour – mineral and ripely intense finishing., Such a lovely first wine.
2021 Meursault
Parcels from both sides of the village – from about 4 parcels – some strongly frosted.
More fresh bitters across the aromas here. Broad across the palate – there’s balanced concentration here – balanced with exciting mineral energy – really mouthwatering too. I love!
2021 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, but not in 2021!’
A more airy top note to this wine almost a little white flower to mix with the citrus. Broad and fresh – more mouth-filling – super energy again. Really a beautiful finish of purity, energy and panache – yes!
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 was the sector most touched by the frost for us – it hasn’t changed the identity like it did with different generation of fruit in 2016 -it’s still proper Narvaux!
Hmm – a noble reduction to this nose – it adds a little excitement. A little extra concentration but no fat – super middle and finishing intensity – bravo – love that!
2021 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot Tête du Clos
‘Again on white soil that helps the tension, even bringing a tannin in the finish.’ Young, 9-year-old vines – here was the most frost in 2021 – so, of course, less yield than in 2016…
Fully open and much more floral aromatics. Still plenty of gas in this but there’s no disguising the energetic yellow citrus energy – it also shows a little more creamy oak which adds another layer to the flavour. Broad finishing.
2021 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.
Depth of aroma – some faint firework reduction. Softer, wider, fine texture – a much more considered wine here – more contemplative but holding a serious density of fine finishing flavour. Delicious flavour!
The high part again – Dessus – and also the oldest vines here are 85 now and still bringing 35-40 hl/ha – but not in 2021.
Here there’s a width of aroma – rounder without the reduction of the Charmes and slowly adding a small floral component. Like the Narvaux but with a few mm of cushioning – the energy remains super – and with simply wonderful, engaging, complexity. A great wine!
2021 Meursault 1er Les Perrières
‘Always very small grapes in these vines.’ Near the Clos des Perrières. A little less touched by the frost as the SO4 rootstock is a little later to start its growth phase
Broad, incisive, again with a noble reduction today. Direct, a more mineral beast, the energy a touch less overt but still with mobile, mouthwatering flavours. And what length! That will be, as a minimum, excellent but certainly needs a bit more elevage – like the Charmes I think!
Les Reds:
Will probably bottle the reds relatively soon – just adjusting the retained gas a little:
2021 Volnay 1er Santenots
Quite young vines – 20 years old at the bottom to mid-slope. Red soil here, just before Santenots de Milieu. Fast maturing are – always one of the earliest parcels harvested. The yield reduced in recent years by training in cordon.
Quite good depth of colour here. Floral perfumed at the top with fine red berry fruit in support – that’s a lovely nose. Almost all destemmed. Incisive, cool fruit, starting silky and slowly turning more velour as the tannins start to show themselves – very fine-grained and not at all astringent. I like the frank and long finish here.
2021 Pommard 1er Refene
Hmm – floral, faint tobacco too – a nice nose. More tannin than the Santenots but a little finer grain. Layered depth of flavour here – and still quite perfumed flavour. Holding very well. Here’s a tasty wine that I’d give 2 years in the cellar before returning.