Tastedin Chambolle-Musigny with Adrien & François Millet, 09 November 2021.
Domaine François Millet et Fils
15 rue du Carré
Chambolle-Musigny
More reports with Domaine François Millet
François on 2020:
“The approach was very important in 2020 – you could see monsters. I destemmed completely and the potential for extracting was really high too. The natural acidities are super though, we have the concentration of sugar like in 2019 – it was a very sunny year – but we have more acidity too.”
The wines…
I have the impression that François and sons had to work a little harder with these 2020s than was the case with their 2019s – yet to fine effect. There are a number of excellent wines here.
2020 Volnay Des Grands Poisots
Deeply coloured – there’s almost a thickness that’s visible to the wine already when swirling. Opening up in beautiful fashion on the nose – becoming fine and floral. Full concentrated almost a little dense to start but then slowly melting over the palate – once it relaxes – and it does – this is fine and intense and wide. Quite mineral finishing, always with intensity. I’d be waiting 2-3 years before approaching. The texture is already lovely though.
2020 Volnay 1er Clos des Angles
That’s a more forward nose becoming more aromatic with air. Full, energetic, almost a little too high-toned at this stage – I think this needs to calm a little but with more time and aeration before the bottling all should be in place. Finishing well with a lovely texture and an edge of salinity…
Deep colour – it saw pigeage just once!
Darker fruit and much finer purity – this impresses from the outset. Energy, direction, so mouth-watering and impressive. This is a really excellent Beaune, potentially great. Love it!
2020 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits
A suggestion of reduction but nice herb mixes with darker fruit. Mouth-filling, nice layers of fresh and concentrated flavour. The herb not visible in the flavour. Texturally very good for the label. This is an excellent, already generous, wine. You can enjoy it quite soon. Lovely…
2020 Bourgogne Les Rues
Separated from Chambolles les Athets and Herbues by the road.
A deeper nose reflecting the barrel to start but then opening with some nice width of fruit. This is really super in the mouth, energetic, fine fruited – structured in the best sense of that word and just so mouth-wateringly delicious. Bravo!
2020 Fixin En l’Olivier
Above the village next to Les Arvelets 1er
Here the impression of some whole cluster, or maybe malic – no there’s no wc says François – it’s next to the pine forest so some menthols style he says. I find a little of that style in the width of the flavours too – a cooler style to this wine but seeming a more concentrated width of flavour. Nicely finishing in an almost juicy style. I’d be waiting 4-5 years for this…
2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Croix des Champs
That’s a very fine and elegant nose – a pretty width of fruit here. Direct, fresh, a little structural. Melting with fine flavour. Darker fruit and really quite a moreish wine. That’s a really super villages.
2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Le Fourneau
The other side of the RN974 but effectively (well) below Chapelle-Chambertin.
A different style of nose – there’s still the energy and darker fruit here but this is deeper and narrower in form – at least to start with. Super, super, so mouth-watering and wide in style – really juicy with the freshness of lovely fruit. The structure rises from the depths to make the texture more of velour. But that’s another fresh and absolutely delicious villages. Excellent.
2020 Chambolle-Musigny Les Fouchères
Vines quite close to 1er Borniques.
A higher-toned nose- elegant, attractively perfumed but not fully open. Here is quite a structural style of wine – open and melting over the palate – quite mineral in style. Really mouth-watering with a finesse of finishing texture.
Les Whites:
2020 Bourgogne Aligoté Les Gravières
In the gravels next to les Rues
Fresh and direct, accented with citrus – that’s a very good invitation. Mouth-filling and mouth-watering, slightly golden fruit but not overly. The easy and attractive freshness makes this a fine package, finishing round and tasty but the last impression is a good line of minerality too.
2020 Auxey-Duresses La Macabrée
The nose begins with impressive heft and width – a little apple – it needs some air. Slowly becoming finer and taking on a more ginger spice that might suggest Meursault – this is very close to Meursault. The form and texture of this are also quite Meursault in style but with a line of purity and freshness. The apple not quite lost from the flavours at this stage but the spice touch of fine tannin is really attractive.
2020 Montagny 1er Aux Chaniots
Also quite a forward nose, higher-toned here but then it attenuates a little. Lovely in the mouth – mineral so mouth-watering – very Montagny here – like a waterfall but also with a beautiful texture that suggests tannin without direct evidence of them. An extra complexity in the finish – ooh that’s so good – this could be an excellent wine.