Oswaldo Costa
Oswaldo Costa
Yesterday we spent a memorable two hours at Domaine Henri Milan. Milan is irreverent and entertaining, and the repartee with him and his winemaker, Sébastien, helped to make the visit zing. Despite a quarter century of experience, Milan continues to experiment and evolve, and his sometimes powerful and often idiosyncratic wines deserve to be better known on the other side of the pond.
Milan doesn’t destem or filter and uses minimal or no sulfur. He is proud of the blue marl in his soils, especially those used for the whites. He uses no new wood or stainless steel, only used barriques or cement. He tends to prefer his whites to his reds (I felt otherwise) and has traditionally preferred blends to varietals, since “there is no monocépage in nature.” The different varieties are therefore all vinified together. Paradoxically, he is now experimenting with a white and a red varietal, an exercise in keeping his mind (and options) open.
We began with a few whites and, as the discussion evolved, bottles started to emerge to prove this or that point, a sure sign that fun was being had.
2010 Domaine Henri Milan Sans Soufre Ajouté Blanc 13.5%
Mostly chardonnay, grenache blanc and roussane, with some muscat and rolle (vermentino). Grapefruit, red apple, thyme, crystalized sugar, and a whiff of oxidativeness. Nice freshness but, recently bottled, it’s still too yeasty.
2009 Domaine Henri Milan Le Grand Blanc 13.5%
Same blend. Some sulfur, and shows it, with grapefruit and a confectionary caramel edge. The mouth, fresh and succulent, is better than the nose, though it needs more acidity.
2008 Domaine Henri Milan Le Grand Blanc 13.5%
Same blend. Some sulfur, but absorbed. In 2008, Milan lost half his grapes to mildew. Shows a rich nose of grapefruit and quince, with thyme. Attractive minerality.
2010 Domaine Henri Milan La Carrée used oak barrel sample
100% rousanne. Some sulfur. Different, hard to read, but with decent acidity and attractive bitterness. The idea for a roussane varietal began when much rousanne was left over from the 2007 vintage. Stored in barrels for unspecified future use, it was tasted by a visiting sommelier who asked for a varietal. The guy totally flipped for it, as have others since, so Milan thinks he must look into the possibility (though he still prefers the blends).
2010 Domaine Henri Milan La Carrée new oak barrel sample
100% rousanne. Some sulfur. Only exception to no new oak rule. Oak too strong at this point, but otherwise more balanced than the preceding.
2002 Domaine Henri Milan Le Grand Blanc 13.0%
Blend of grenache blanc, rolle and rousanne. Rough vintage. This shows reduced, possibly from the headier dose of SO2 required at the time, with apricot and gunpowder showing behind the model airplane glue. Needs a good decant before judgment.
In general, I thought the whites could use a little more acidity, but the minerality somewhat takes up the slack. And lest you object that we are talking about the south of France, some of the reds that followed were fiercely acidic.
2010 Domaine Henri Milan Sans Soufre Ajouté Rouge 12.5%
Blend of grenache and syrah, with some cabernet sauvignon, cinsault and mourvèdre. Sees no wood, élevage in cement. Berries and honey, fresh, attractive, though still a bit yeasty. Very tannic, from prolonged maceration.
2007 Domaine Henri Milan Le Vallon 13.5%
Bottled six months ago. Same blend as preceding, but uses barriques (used) and sulfur. Shorter maceration. Lovely aromas of blueberries, musk and leather. Olivia’s sure there’s cantaloupe too. Smooth and balanced. Delicious and, in retrospect, the most drinkable at this point.
2009 Domaine Henri Milan Le Vallon barrel sample
Blueberries galore. Fruity and smooth. Also delish; tastes ready to me.
2006 Domaine Henri Milan Domaine Milan AOC Baux de Provence 13.5%
Long maceration. Dense and complex aromas, hard to read, somewhat closed. Very tannic and very acidic; tough to drink at this point. In intensity of acid and tannin, seems closer to Barolo than most of its compatriots. Also like Barolo, requires time; seems to have the structure to age well.
2007 Domaine Henri Milan Clos Milan
Unlike the preceding reds, this and the following reds are 60% grenache and 40% syrah. Bottled 10 days ago after two years in (used) barriques. Intriguing aromas, but dense and hard to read beyond the upfront blueberries. Another long maceration, and even more tannic and acidic than the preceding. Very harsh right now, but seems to have the structure to last eons. Try again in 10 years.
2006 Domaine Henri Milan Clos Milan AOC Baux de Provence 13.0%
Ripe red fruits, bordering on cassis. Balanced and much smoother than the two preceding bruisers, probably because of the ripeness. Very nice, but I’m no fan of jam.
2004 Domaine Henri Milan Clos Milan AOC Baux de Provence 14.0%
Red fruits, otherwise a bit closed. Fruity and tannic, lighter than any red so far, despite the higher alcohol. Milan jokes that this wine was made by Sébastian, not him, and it does seem slightly dilute in such brawny company.
2005 Domaine Henri Milan Clos Milan AOC Baux de Provence 13.5%
Ripe blackberry jam, bordering on molasses, Very tannic. Another one that needs 10 years to tame the tannins, but may not lose the sweet edge. I’d say this is a question mark for the long haul.
2002 Domaine Henri Milan Clos Milan AOC Baux de Provence 12.5%
Another ripe nose, raspberry confit. Smooth and tangy. Milan says he really loves this. I say I prefer the others because they are wilder, while this seems focused and one track minded. He nods and unsmiligly says that the wine turned out this way because he was totally one track minded in 2002, when he had a stroke and all his energy had to be focused on the single goal of making this wine in a year when the elements made it exceedingly difficult.
2009 Domaine Henri Milan Le Jardin 13.5%
Milan’s rosé, only made sporadically. Grenache, merlot and syrah, fermented until this month. Strawberry and caramel. Very fruity, yet structured. Caramelized sweet edge detracts a little for me.
2010 Domaine Henri Milan La Carrée Barrel Sample
100% merlot. On the verge of bottling. Smells yeasty, with coffee, pecan, and leather. Tannic yet smooth. Good material, but tastes way too yeasty for me.
Before we left, Milan made us a reservation at the restaurant of a friend so that we wouldn’t end up in yet another overpriced Provençal racket. So we drove to a sleepy place called Le Croque Chou in Verquières, where we had an excellent lunch for an appropriate fee.
Milan doesn’t destem or filter and uses minimal or no sulfur. He is proud of the blue marl in his soils, especially those used for the whites. He uses no new wood or stainless steel, only used barriques or cement. He tends to prefer his whites to his reds (I felt otherwise) and has traditionally preferred blends to varietals, since “there is no monocépage in nature.” The different varieties are therefore all vinified together. Paradoxically, he is now experimenting with a white and a red varietal, an exercise in keeping his mind (and options) open.
We began with a few whites and, as the discussion evolved, bottles started to emerge to prove this or that point, a sure sign that fun was being had.
2010 Domaine Henri Milan Sans Soufre Ajouté Blanc 13.5%
Mostly chardonnay, grenache blanc and roussane, with some muscat and rolle (vermentino). Grapefruit, red apple, thyme, crystalized sugar, and a whiff of oxidativeness. Nice freshness but, recently bottled, it’s still too yeasty.
2009 Domaine Henri Milan Le Grand Blanc 13.5%
Same blend. Some sulfur, and shows it, with grapefruit and a confectionary caramel edge. The mouth, fresh and succulent, is better than the nose, though it needs more acidity.
2008 Domaine Henri Milan Le Grand Blanc 13.5%
Same blend. Some sulfur, but absorbed. In 2008, Milan lost half his grapes to mildew. Shows a rich nose of grapefruit and quince, with thyme. Attractive minerality.
2010 Domaine Henri Milan La Carrée used oak barrel sample
100% rousanne. Some sulfur. Different, hard to read, but with decent acidity and attractive bitterness. The idea for a roussane varietal began when much rousanne was left over from the 2007 vintage. Stored in barrels for unspecified future use, it was tasted by a visiting sommelier who asked for a varietal. The guy totally flipped for it, as have others since, so Milan thinks he must look into the possibility (though he still prefers the blends).
2010 Domaine Henri Milan La Carrée new oak barrel sample
100% rousanne. Some sulfur. Only exception to no new oak rule. Oak too strong at this point, but otherwise more balanced than the preceding.
2002 Domaine Henri Milan Le Grand Blanc 13.0%
Blend of grenache blanc, rolle and rousanne. Rough vintage. This shows reduced, possibly from the headier dose of SO2 required at the time, with apricot and gunpowder showing behind the model airplane glue. Needs a good decant before judgment.
In general, I thought the whites could use a little more acidity, but the minerality somewhat takes up the slack. And lest you object that we are talking about the south of France, some of the reds that followed were fiercely acidic.
2010 Domaine Henri Milan Sans Soufre Ajouté Rouge 12.5%
Blend of grenache and syrah, with some cabernet sauvignon, cinsault and mourvèdre. Sees no wood, élevage in cement. Berries and honey, fresh, attractive, though still a bit yeasty. Very tannic, from prolonged maceration.
2007 Domaine Henri Milan Le Vallon 13.5%
Bottled six months ago. Same blend as preceding, but uses barriques (used) and sulfur. Shorter maceration. Lovely aromas of blueberries, musk and leather. Olivia’s sure there’s cantaloupe too. Smooth and balanced. Delicious and, in retrospect, the most drinkable at this point.
2009 Domaine Henri Milan Le Vallon barrel sample
Blueberries galore. Fruity and smooth. Also delish; tastes ready to me.
2006 Domaine Henri Milan Domaine Milan AOC Baux de Provence 13.5%
Long maceration. Dense and complex aromas, hard to read, somewhat closed. Very tannic and very acidic; tough to drink at this point. In intensity of acid and tannin, seems closer to Barolo than most of its compatriots. Also like Barolo, requires time; seems to have the structure to age well.
2007 Domaine Henri Milan Clos Milan
Unlike the preceding reds, this and the following reds are 60% grenache and 40% syrah. Bottled 10 days ago after two years in (used) barriques. Intriguing aromas, but dense and hard to read beyond the upfront blueberries. Another long maceration, and even more tannic and acidic than the preceding. Very harsh right now, but seems to have the structure to last eons. Try again in 10 years.
2006 Domaine Henri Milan Clos Milan AOC Baux de Provence 13.0%
Ripe red fruits, bordering on cassis. Balanced and much smoother than the two preceding bruisers, probably because of the ripeness. Very nice, but I’m no fan of jam.
2004 Domaine Henri Milan Clos Milan AOC Baux de Provence 14.0%
Red fruits, otherwise a bit closed. Fruity and tannic, lighter than any red so far, despite the higher alcohol. Milan jokes that this wine was made by Sébastian, not him, and it does seem slightly dilute in such brawny company.
2005 Domaine Henri Milan Clos Milan AOC Baux de Provence 13.5%
Ripe blackberry jam, bordering on molasses, Very tannic. Another one that needs 10 years to tame the tannins, but may not lose the sweet edge. I’d say this is a question mark for the long haul.
2002 Domaine Henri Milan Clos Milan AOC Baux de Provence 12.5%
Another ripe nose, raspberry confit. Smooth and tangy. Milan says he really loves this. I say I prefer the others because they are wilder, while this seems focused and one track minded. He nods and unsmiligly says that the wine turned out this way because he was totally one track minded in 2002, when he had a stroke and all his energy had to be focused on the single goal of making this wine in a year when the elements made it exceedingly difficult.
2009 Domaine Henri Milan Le Jardin 13.5%
Milan’s rosé, only made sporadically. Grenache, merlot and syrah, fermented until this month. Strawberry and caramel. Very fruity, yet structured. Caramelized sweet edge detracts a little for me.
2010 Domaine Henri Milan La Carrée Barrel Sample
100% merlot. On the verge of bottling. Smells yeasty, with coffee, pecan, and leather. Tannic yet smooth. Good material, but tastes way too yeasty for me.
Before we left, Milan made us a reservation at the restaurant of a friend so that we wouldn’t end up in yet another overpriced Provençal racket. So we drove to a sleepy place called Le Croque Chou in Verquières, where we had an excellent lunch for an appropriate fee.