Cote de Nuits Villages Aux Faulques・Jean Marc Millot・2019

Jean-Marc Millau is a relatively new domaine, having started bottling in 1992. Currently, Jean-Marc's daughter Alyx, who took over cultivation and brewing, has joined the company since 2014 and is now the second generation to direct the domaine. Although the winery itself is located in Nuits-Saint-Georges, most of the fields are spread between Vosne-Romanée and Vougeot, and they have an excellent lineup including Grand Echezeaux, Echezeaux, Clos Vougeot, and Vosne-Romanée 1er Sucho. These wonderful fields come from the family of Jean-Marc's wife Christine, the Gouroux family of Flagey-Echezeaux, who inherited the fields when they got married in 1982. The most famous of these is Grand Echezeaux, which is located right next to the DRC section and is coveted by Burgundy lovers around the world. In fact, this field was fermageed to Mongeard Mugneret until the mid-1990s, and it was released under the domaine name for the first time in 1997 after the contract ended.

Based on the philosophy of ``wines with terroir-derived fruit flavors and clarity,'' all cultivation is done by hand and a lot of time is spent in the fields. In order to harvest the best fruit, the yield is kept low, with an average of 30-35 hl/ha, even in AC Burgundy, and a maximum of around 38 hl/ha. Winemaking is done in the cellar with as little intervention as possible, and after sorting, all grapes are destemmed and soaked at a low temperature for 5-6 days. Pigeage is rarely performed, and remontage is the main work. The wine is aged in lightly toasted barrels with a reduced proportion of new barrels, and no lees are allowed to settle during aging. It is then bottled unfined and unfiltered. The Jean-Marc Millau wines produced in this way are characterized by the pure freshness of the fruit, elegant elegance, and a fragrant, supple, transparent flavor. It is no exaggeration to say that it is filled with all the charms of Pinot Noir. Their finesse-filled wines have long been attracting attention from British buyers and connoisseurs, but they have not been as popular in the American market. The reason for this is due to the historical background. At the time, the mainstream in the United States was wines that were popular among critics, with dark colors, high alcohol content, and powerful new oak barrels. However, it is this gap that fortunately prevents Jean-Marc Millau's wines from becoming famous all over the world, and has allowed them to remain as ``hidden gems'' that are not well known.

Nowadays, the days of just fruit flavors and barrels are long gone, and there is an overwhelming increase in the number of makers and drinkers who aim for understated and elegant styles, regardless of the AOC. Under such circumstances, their wines have stuck to this style from the beginning, and it can be said that the times have finally caught up with them. The wines of this domaine have delighted the taste buds of many Burgundy celebrities, with Alan Meadow saying, ``I am deeply impressed by the style that values ​​finesse, harmony, and overall balance,'' and Clive Coates MW saying, ``This wine... I believe that Domaine will be a star in the future.'' The quality has improved especially since his daughter Alyx joined the band, and Tim Atkin has chosen him as one of the Top 25 Red Producers and Top 25 Producers to watch. As his level continues to rise through a generational change, there is no doubt that he is a maker that we can't take our eyes off of, and we can expect him to do even more in the future.