Le Jardin Merlot Domaine Milan 2020

Le Jardin Merlot Domaine Milan – Natural Wine, 100% Merlot, low yields, the Pomerol of Provence. The soils are clay with limestone screes on a subsoil of blue marls,.  It is same soil type as in Pomerol. This cuvée is called by some people, ‘Provencal Petrus’ thanks to the nature of the soils and the grape variety used. It is certainly a wine of great class, medium colour, full bodied but very fresh with supple dark fruits, minerals, notes of herbs, , mint bell pepper and leather as it matures.

Le Jardin Merlot is class, class wine. When Henri Milan makes wine, he really does just let nature take its course. The man is slow, methodical and very, very relaxed, his wines are expressive, and take time to come round. The 2020 Jardin is superb. Recently tasted, it is still very young but displaying magnificent aromas which intoxicate and excite.  The wine is deep in colour as well as complexity, with intense berry fruits on the nose and palate. The tannins are ripe but still young, and the acidity is bristling.  To drink now, leave to decant for several hours, serve room temperature but not too warm, approx 15 degrees, and try with some game or rare beef.  It will age very well and will reward 5 years more and beyond in the bottle.

Henri Milan has always done thing his way, and broke away from the Baux de Provence AOC so as to have the freedom to produce the wines he wanted.

The Domaine was started by Henri's father Robert in 1956, but it wasn't until Henri took over in the mid-80s that he converted to organic production. Influenced by Claude Courtois and Claude Bourguignon, Henri began to vinify the different sections of his vineyard separately and moved further towards natural production. He now grows a number of grape varieties including Grenache, Syrah, Grenache Blanc, Rolle, Roussanne and Chardonnay. The only chemical treatment used during the entire process of growth and vinification is a small amount of sulphur dioxide, which is added, on some rare occasions, during bottling. Fermentation always takes place naturally, with the grapes blended at the beginning of the process, rather than at the end. His wines have a wonderful purity and expression of terroir.