Domaine Henri Milan - Clos Milan 2009

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

Domaine Henri Milan, well known in the Parisian microcosm for a few "nature wines" (with no added sulfur), produces a much wider range than that from its 15 hectares of vines just outside Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. Established since 1956 in the Baux de Provence appellation area, he left it in 2007 to pursue his own path, following the philosophy of Henri, a man of conviction and explorer of an interpretation of winemaking with as few inputs as possible. He has also decided to label all his wines as Vin de France, so as to be totally free in his choices. Since 2013, his daughter Emmanuelle has slowly taken over the reins. Since then, the wines have been moving towards greater precision, and that's not to our displeasure.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

Clos 2009, vinified in whole bunches, followed by 48 months' ageing (24 in barrels, 24 in vats), offers notes of fresh coffee, finely oxidized blackcurrant juice and pepper on the finish. This is a wine with a patina, melted and still very generous. It will make a fine pairing at the table, starting this winter.

About the domain :

In the Galine district of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, a small town in the Alpilles region popular with a bourgeois clientele, iconoclast Henri Milan, supported by his son Théo, remains faithful to the boldly free wines he initiated in the 1990s. Vinification, far from academic standards, is carried out with little sulfur, bringing to light the twirling expressions of fruit coming mainly from limestone scree and blue marl. Produced from short maceration of Grenache, Syrah, Merlot, Cinsault and Cabernet Sauvignon, the reds prove tasty, from the fruit-driven cuvées to the ambitious S&X, Eliott and Le Clos. The whites, La Carrée (pure roussanne) and Le Grand Blanc (grenache blanc, rolle, roussanne, chardonnay, muscat petit grains), assert their identity with a high relief of straightforward flavors.