If you value finesse and elegance in White and Red Burgundy as I do, then these are wines for you. I have been buying them, cellaring them, and drinking them for several years now. I buy them each year and it is always a pleasure to drink them young or with several years additional bottle age. They are consistently beautifully made wines that are made from grapes grown on old vines.

Early last year I wrote about the 2012s which were lovely. The article also had the background information for Ballot-Millot et Fils and links to earlier Ballot-Millot et Fils articles (to read that article click here). With reference to the 2013s here is what I said: The 2013s (which will be the next vintage to be offered for sale) I expect to follow the trend and be very successful. Here is what I have repeatedly advised about wines that you like. My advice to all of you who are buying and cellaring wine is that when you find something you really like, buy it every year. Forget about vintages and forget about numbers. If you buy what you like, you can watch the evolution over time and I think you will be well rewarded. And, just for the record, I eat my own cooking. This is the program I have followed for a lot of wines and especially Burgundies for decades….

So now the 2013 Ballot-Millot White Burgundies are here. And, guess what? The wines are gorgeous just as I thought they would be. I tasted and drank the wines with a wide variety of foods over a period of 10 days. They held beautifully and several really benefited from air. The wines are amazingly consistent throughout the entire line and while lovely now they will benefit from some additional bottle age. These are very stylistic and classy Burgundies. My notes follow:

Domaine Ballot-Millot et Fils White Burgundies
The 2013 Ballot-Millot et Fils White Burgundies are wines of great finesse and charm. They have a lot of appeal both now and for some years into the future. A few were a bit subdued and obvious candidates for additional age, but with air they opened. The comparison of these 2013s with the past few vintages will make for a very interesting tasting experience a few years down the road. That is a big part of buying the wines you like each year. You always have multiple opportunities for enjoyment at different times in the evolution of the wines.

 

2013 Domaine Ballot-Millot et Fils Bourgogne Chardonnay
This is a lovely stylistic Bourgogne. It has a pale yellow color and a nice perfume with hints of citrus and a faint floral undertone with a mineral tinge. Elegant and crisp with citrus and mineral nuances this a wine that shows the house style very well and has a lot of early appeal – Highly Recommended.   $35

2013 Domaine Ballot-Millot et Fils Meursault Blanc
Vineyards in the Meursault village appellation make up about 20% of the domaine’s holdings. The vines here are nearly 40 years old. This 2013 is a gorgeous Meursault. The wine has a pale yellow color and floral perfume with a kiss of spice and a faint citrus nuance. Elegant with lots of finesse yet flavorful it has lovely fruit with a faint floral undertone and a nice crispness – Highly Recommended Plus.     $50

2013 Domaine Ballot-Millot et Fils Meursault Les Criots
The vines here are over 30 years old. The wine has a pale yellow color and a lovely floral perfume with a tinge of citrus. Crisp and finesseful with lovely mineral tinged fruit it is bright and very appealing – Highly Recommended Plus.     $55

2013 Domaine Ballot-Millot et Fils Meursault Les Narvaux
The vines here are around 40 years old. The wine has a pale yellow color and a lovely perfume with hints of peach and citrus. It is finesseful and beautifully balanced with floral tinged fruit and a nice underlying crispness – Highly Recommended Plus.   $60

2013 Domaine Ballot-Millot et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot Tête de Clos 1er Cru
This wine is made from grapes grown on 50 year old vines in a prime area of the vineyard. It has a pale yellow color and gorgeous floral perfume with hints of peach and citrus. Lush, yet elegant, the wine shows lovely very pure fruit and hints of peach and melon with a touch of spice and citrus and a nice crispness on the finish. This is a very classy White Burgundy – Outstanding.   $90

2013 Domaine Ballot-Millot et Fils Meursault Bouchères 1er Cru
The vines here are 45 years old. Pale yellow in color this Meursault has a lovely floral perfume with a faintly honeyed nuance. It is elegant, rounded, and supple with very pure fruit and a nice underlying mineral tinge and should develop beautifully over the next several years – Outstanding.     $90

2013 Domaine Ballot-Millot et Fils Meursault Poruzots 1er Cru
The vines here are 20 years old. This was one of the wines that really benefitted from air. It has a pale yellow color and with air exhibits a lovely floral perfume with a very faint exotic tinge. The wine has depth and flavor yet maintains a sense of elegance and shows a bright underlying crispness. It opens to show lovely very pure fruit and should be really gorgeous a few years down the line – Outstanding.   $90

2013 Domaine Ballot-Millot et Fils Meursault Charmes 1er Cru
This wine is made from grapes grown on vines over 45 years of age that are from the upper part of the vineyard near the Puligny border. Pale yellow in color this Charmes has a deep floral perfume with hints of peach and citrus. It is lush and rounded yet with a nice underlying crispness and exhibits very pure fruit again with hints of peach and citrus. Beautifully balanced this is a really gorgeous wine that has tremendous appeal and the promise of a long future – Outstanding Plus.     $100

2013 Domaine Ballot-Millot et Fils Meursault Genevrières 1er Cru
The vines here are the oldest in the domaine averaging over 70 years old. With a pale yellow color the wine has a gorgeous citrus tinged floral perfume. It has style, intensity, and depth with a lot of finesse and shows wonderful very pure fruit and impeccable balance. This Genevrières is delicious to drink now but a few years bottle age should be well rewarded – Outstanding Plus.   $100

2013 Domaine Ballot-Millot Et Fils Meursault Perrières 1er Cru
The vines here are over 40 years old. Perrières is widely considered the best vineyard in Meursault and of Grand Cru quality. This is a gorgeous Perrières that will benefit greatly from several years age although it drinks very well now. Over the course of several days the wine continued to open and become more accessible. Here is where a little patience will really pay off. The wine is pale yellow in color and has a faintly floral citrus tined perfume. With great definition and structure the wine has very pure fruit with a mineral tinge and has impressive length on the finish. It will be most interesting to have this wine with some of the other Ballot-Millot et Fils 1er Crus in a few year’s time – Outstanding Plus.       $115

2013 Domaine Ballot-Millot et Fils Red Wines
Like the white wines, the Ballot-Millot red wines are finesseful and consistently very fine. They also really blossom with some age. Typically this seems to occur after about 5 years. I would expect these 2013s to age beautifully.

2013 Domaine Ballot-Millot et Fils Volnay Santenots 1er Cru
The vines here are 20 years old. This 2013 Santenots is particularly forward and delicious to drink now although it will certainly age for  years into the future. With a deep color showing a faint amber edge the wine has a lovely perfume of floral tinged berry fruit with a faint exotic nuance and a faint hint of smokiness. It is beautifully balanced with very pure fruit and shows great finesse and charm – Outstanding.   $60

2013 Domaine Ballot-Millot et Fils Pommard Pezerolles 1er Cru
The vines here are over 40 years old. With a deep color just faintly amber at the edge the wine has a great floral spice perfume with hints of plum and an exotic nuance. It is rounded, lush, and supple with lots of exotic tinged plum like fruit and drinks beautifully now with the potential for extended aging – Outstanding Plus.     $68

2013 Domaine Ballot-Millot et Fils Volnay Taillepieds 1er Cru
The vines here are over 35 years old. This wine has a deep color that is faintly amber at the edge and opens with air to reveal a lovely berry perfume with a touch of spice and a very faint earthiness. It has lovely spice tinged berry fruit and is beautifully balanced. Again, it is initially a bit subdued, but opens with air to reveal a very supple and seductive charm. This should be really gorgeous with some additional bottle age – Outstanding.   $68

As I said, these are wines I am buying each year. You see, I really do believe in eating my own cooking!  So the 2014s will be coming next and I will place an order when they arrive. My advice to all of all of you who love Burgundy is to do the same. That is, buy the 2013s, then buy the 2014s when they arrive and continue with the program each year. Along the way, I hope to have an article on the 2014s after they arrive. But, as I said, there is really no need to wait for a review. Like the 2013s and earlier vintages, I expect the wines to be very attractive across the entire line.

Ballot-Millot et Fils Wines Are Imported By Atherton Wine Imports, Atherton, CA 

http://www.awiwine.com/