Bernard Millot

Bernard Millot is based in Meursault, where the family’s winemaking history can be traced back to at least 1888. Today, the vineyards are run by Emilien Millot, who joined his parents Bernard and Sylvie full-time in 2010 after studying oenology and gaining experience elsewhere in France. The family farms around eight hectares, with vineyards in Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Beaune.

Meursault naturally forms the heart of the range. Alongside the village wine, Millot bottles a considerable number of individual lieux-dits, including Les Vireuils, Les Petits Charrons, Les Clous and En la Barre, as well as the Premier Crus Les Perrières and Les Gouttes d’Or. There are also wines from Puligny-Montrachet and Beaune, together with Bourgogne Côte d’Or and Bourgogne Aligoté.

The vineyards are worked with an increasingly organic approach, with ploughed soils, manual harvesting and plant-based treatments used in some parcels. In the cellar, the approach remains relatively traditional. The whites ferment in barrel with indigenous yeasts and are generally aged on their lees, with restrained use of new oak. The Meursault, for example, sees only around 10% new barrels and no bâtonnage.

Millot’s wines tend towards freshness and clarity rather than an overly rich interpretation of Meursault. There is also an experimental side to Emilien’s work: a small parcel of Syrah was planted as a response to a warmer, drier climate. It is an unusual step in Meursault, but one that fits a grower looking to preserve tradition without treating it as something static.