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Anne et Hervé Sigaut, Morey-St-Denis 1er Cru, “Les Millandes”

Other, France 2012 (750mL)
$65.00
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Anne et Hervé Sigaut, Morey-St-Denis 1er Cru, “Les Millandes”

Because their production is so minuscule, Domaine Anne et Hervé Sigaut is the kind of Burgundy domaine that requires careful attention—meaning, as buyers, we have to be alert or we’ll miss out. Their ‘horse and plow’ methods in the vineyard combined with a genuinely traditional approach in the winery always results in a Burgundy of exquisite beauty.
Today’s 2012 Les Millandes has emerged from a cool, dark cellar after several years of slumber and is now brimming with breathtaking elegance and rich texture. From start to finish, only a few people work this tiny parcel of prime Burgundian real estate, which is directly adjacent to the Grand Cru “Clos de la Roche.” With just .8 (!) acres under their ownership and old vines that were first planted in the 1950s, there really is no need for intervention—they let nature run its course on this perfectly situated terroir. Even in the winery, you’ll rarely spot anyone other than Anne or Hervé, who are only there when the wine requires them to be. Truly, this is a wine that embodies the soul of old Burgundy; it is powerful, profound, and still sporting fresh legs that will keep it running strong for a decade to come, if you allow it! Sigaut’s pure expression of “Les Millandes” is one of the great bottlings of 2012 and, with only a few hundred cases produced, the market is almost tapped out—our extremely limited stock confirms that.
Anne and Hervé Sigaut are a low-key couple organically farming about seven hectares (17 acres) of vineyards and generally flying under the radar, due to incredibly low production. The Sigauts are proud owners, and ones that don’t stand by and supervise—they get involved. To this day, you’ll find Anne dirtying her hands in the vines and staining them in the winery. They have also been insistent on reverting back to traditional times by using horse and plow, vine training by hand (they employ just seven workers—one for each hectare), and fertilizing with organic compost. While they don’t own any Grand Crus, they have a bevy of old-vine Premier Crus: “Fuées,” “Chatelots,” “Noirots” and “Sentiers” in Chambolle, and a few rows in Morey-St-Denis’ “Charrières” and “Millandes”—the source of today’s wine.

The “Millandes” Premier Cru is situated just downslope from Morey’s celebrated Grand Cru “Clos de la Roche”—only a skinny back road separates the two. The Sigauts work this and their other Premier Cru vineyards by farming organically, unless an extreme emergency requires other intervention. Come harvest, their small team picks and sorts the crop by hand; it is then shuttled to their winery in neighboring Chambolle-Musigny. Grapes are completely de-stemmed and fermented with indigenous yeasts prior to their gravity transfer into French barrels—their wines rarely exceed ? new oak. After aging for 15 months, the wine is “racked to tank” (removed from barrel and sent to settle in stainless steel vats for a short period). As a result, they are bottled without fining or filtering. 

Sigaut’s wines are always soulful and refined expressions of Burgundy, but with a bit of age, this 2012 “Les Millandes” is pushing above an already high level. In the glass, it shows a dark ruby with slight garnet reflections. The nose is seductive and pure, with red and black wildberry aromatics, along with ripe black cherry, underbrush, red currant, wild mushroom, black tea, violets, rose stem, and a touch of integrated oak spices. It dances across your palate with dense, medium-bodied weight and a building presence of minerality provides such a vibrant finish. This is supple and round all the way, with fine-grained tannins and pleasing acidity that prickles your mid-palate with precision. I’ll say this again: “Les Millandes” a stunning result from the underrated 2012 vintage and I guarantee you’ll be overly thrilled by its silky, yet profound presentation. This will keep evolving gracefully over the next decade and beyond, but can be enjoyed now after a 60 minute decant. Serve around 60-65 degrees in your largest Burgundy stems and serve next to a tender pork tenderloin in a balsamic blackberry sauce. Cheers!
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Country
France
Region
Other
Sub-Region
FranceMorey-St-Denis 1er Cru “Les Millandes”
Soil
Clay & Limestone
Farming
Organic
Blend
Pinot Noir 100%
Alcohol
13.0
OAK
~30% New French
TEMP.
60-65
Glassware
Large Burgundy Stem
Drinking
Now-2032
Decanting
60 Minutes
Pairing
Pork Tenderloin w/ Blackberry Sauce

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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