François Millet et fils
— Portfolio —
CÔTES DU JURA L’ÉCHENAUD BLANC 2020
Bottle Shot
Francois & Michelle have deep routes in Jura being both originally from the region stretching back 3 generations at least. This wine in fact comes from Michelle’s own family vineyards that her father owned. Her Father and brother had stopped farming the land directly when Francois & Michelle approached them to take over the site. They took over management of the vineyard in 2019.
It’s only 0.85 hectares of established vines so a very small production. 0.75 hectares was planted in 1990 to Chardonnay & Savagnin + a tiny parcel of Pinot Noir with another 0.1 hectares of Chardonnay recently. They have the land to double this to 1.5 hectares.
The vineyard is located in Saint Lothain, just a little north of the iconic Chateau Chalon to help understand the location within Jura. The wine is vinified and aged in the family cellar in Jura next to the vineyard.
The wine is prominently Chardonnay with a small parcel of Savagnin. Co-fermented together due to the tiny production. Fermentation is in the same 228ltr seasoned barrels they use for their Burgundy white. To be clear this is a ‘topped up’ or Ouille as they call it in Jura so it’s a non-oxidative style. Just 400 bottles made in 2020.
BOURGOGNE HAUTES CÔTES DE BEAUNE EN VALLEROT BLANC 2021
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“Cool, pure and ultra-fresh aromas include those of pear, apple, a variety of citrus elements along with a floral top note. On the palate, there is unusually good richness for an Hautes-Côtes blanc allied with solid punch on the lightly stony, clean and lemon-tinged finale. Lovely for what this is – outstanding.” – 86-89 pts – Burghound
MARSANNAY BLANC CROIX DE BOIS 2021
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“A pretty array is comprised by the fresh essence of apple and lemon rind. The sleek, detailed and utterly delicious middleweight flavors exhibit an appealing sense of underlying tension and even more evident minerality on the appealingly dry, balanced and sneaky long finish. This should drink well young.” – 87-90 pts Burghound
BOURGOGNE HAUTES CÔTES DE NUITS PETITE VIGNE ROUGE 2021
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“An ultra-fresh, cool and bright nose combines the essence of red pinot fruit with floral and earth hints. The racy and beautifully detailed flavors are not especially dense, but I like the refreshing, clean and relatively fine finish where a hint of bitter pit fruit slowly emerges. To enjoy young for its fruit” – Burghound
BOURGOGNE ROUGE ‘LES RUES’ 2021
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Situated on the other side of the highway, beside the village of Chambolle. Francois believes you still get the typicity of Chambolle. Key part of why is that it is at the end of the ‘fan’ of the Combe that divides Chambolle, benefiting from the breeze + lots of alluvial rocks deposited in the vineyard from the alluvial wash. This gives the vineyard a rockier soil than many Bourgogne sites and excellent drainage. Vineyard planted in 1973, 49 years old.
“A slightly riper yet still wonderfully fresh nose blends notes of red and dark currant, orange peel and a whiff of earth. There is excellent verve and precision to the delicious middleweight flavors that offers just a bit more size and weight before concluding in a balanced, bright and inviting finale. This is a quality Bourgogne that is slightly more structured” – ♥ Outstanding – Burghound
FIXIN EN L’OLIVIER 2021
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“A very fresh and distinctly cool nose consists of airy aromas that include those of essence of red cherry, plum and more prominent sauvage nuances. There is again excellent delineation to the more mineral-driven medium-bodied flavors that exhibit only a trace of rusticity on the mildly austere, focused and long finale. This is very Fixin in character without being excessively austere.” – 89 – 91 pts – Burghound
VOLNAY 1ER CRU ‘LES ANGLES’ 2020
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Les Angles, The ‘triangle’, Francois loves the elegance offered by this 1er Cru. East exposition, lots of Limestone near the surface. ‘Bottled in May 2021.
“Here too the nose is quite fresh with its array of riper aromas of plum, mocha and dark berry liqueur that are liberally laced with spice elements. I very much like the texture to the velvety and palate coating medium weight flavors that offers just a bit more depth and persistence.” – 89 – 92 pts – Burghound
BEAUNE 1ER CRU ‘CHAMPS PIMONT’ 2020
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Francois is passionate as many Burgundian producers are about the quality of the Beaune appellation, particularly some of the more regarded sites such as Clos de Mouches, Les Montrevenots and this 1er Cru, Champs Pimont. With a wry smile over the zoom call he remarked that ”the Cote de Nuit is not a Monopole on Pinot Noir in Burgundy”. The exposition of Francois’s grower is East but the 1er Cru does rotate round to the South in parts He did use punch downs during ferment in 2019 and 2020 as he feels it cans sustain/benefit from more extraction than Chambolle, Volnay and the Bourgogne. Mix of Clay and Limestone in the soil, 50 year old vines. He commented on the ‘crunchiness about the fruit in this wine’ as part of its personality. Bottled in May 2021.
“Ripe and nicely fresh aromas include those of black cherry, plum, violet and a pretty array of spice nuances, and in particular anise. The rich, vibrant and solidly concentrated medium-bodied flavors also coat the palate before terminating in a powerful, serious and youthfully austere finale. This will need at least a few years of keeping before it’s ready for prime time.” – 90-92 pts – Burghound
GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN ‘LE FOURNEAU’ 2021
Bottle Shot
As you drive from Morey in the south there is a small valley at the start of the Gevry appellation where the Combe is, then you rise up on to the plateau.
Le Fourneau sits on the right hand side of the road on this plateau. East facing. Same latitude as Clos de Beze. Apparently in the past there was a furnace in the area, people bringing iron to the site to melt hence the name. Le Fourneau means Furnace, pronounced ‘Four-No’.
Vineyard planted in 1963, now 59 years old. Bottled in May 2021.
Francois wanted to make this Gevrey as way of making a contrast with Chambolle and Volnay. Different ‘attitude’, he talks about the grapes needing ‘contact’ during winemaking, thus he needs to pieage that he doesn’t do with Chambolle Musigny or Volnay. If you don’t do pieage he believes it doesn’t get the full expression of the site.
” A slightly more deeply pitched nose freely reveals its aromas of plum, dark currant, humus and smoked meat. The medium-bodied flavors possess better volume and very fine punch that carries over to the youthfully austere, lightly stony and notably longer finale where only a trace of austere slowly emerges. This is an excellent Gevrey villages that will need at least a few years of patience.” 89 – 92 pts – Burghound
CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY ‘LES FOUCHERES’ 2021
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In Chambolle there is a natural amphitheatre at the top of the slope from the lieu dit of Les Danguerrins that circles north around Les Porlottes to Les Clos that starts with North facing vineyards and follows around the hill, making the predominant exposition East facing. Les Foucheres sits at the bottom of the hill of this amphitheatre, also East facing. The name Fouchères comes from the old French word “fayard” meaning beechwood, of course nothing left of these trees but they were originally planted there long ago.
A compromise between the amphitheatre (freshness) and the good fruit maturity given by the 1er Cru Les Borniques below on the mid slope. Lots of rocks in the site. As Francois comments “Limestone. Pure, Tension”. Francois is very cautious with his intervention on this wine, very gentle. He likes the tension and elegance this site offers. Chambolle-Musigny les Fouchères was planted in 1970. Bottled in May 2020.
“A super-fresh nose exhibits notes of exuberantly spicy purple fruit and pretty floral wisps. The precise and almost painfully intense middleweight flavors exude evident minerality on the lacy and mineral-driven finish where the barest hint of sweetness can be discerned. This is interesting as the finish suggests that a touch of austerity will appear, but it confounds expectations (mine anyway) and doesn’t. Either way, this is a lovely Chambolle villages.” ♥ Outstanding Top value – 89 – 92 pts – Burghound