France · Chablis

Domaine Baudouin Millet

Domaine Baudouin Millet is a Bourgogne Chardonnay estate that grew from a cereal farm in Tonnerre into an approximately 16 hectare range of Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru Vaucoupin, and Bourgogne Chardonnay.

The producer

At Ferme de Marcault in Tonnerre, Philippe Millet moved from cereal farming into wine production in the early 1980s when land became available for AOC Petit Chablis. He planted nine hectares, then added vines in AOC Chablis and Chablis 1er Cru Vaucoupin. Baudouin Millet joined in 1998 after studying commerce and working for a large French food conglomerate, bringing the family estate forward into its current approximately 16 hectare range.

Domaine Baudouin Millet works mainly with Chardonnay linked to Chablis's Kimmeridgian soil, harvesting slightly later to build ripeness and depth. Temperature controlled stainless steel vats preserve fruit and mineral character in core wines, with rare oak reserved for small Grand Cru cuvées made from sourced Les Preuses and Vaudésir fruit. Petit Chablis 2024 offers citrus, flowers, balanced acidity, and mineral grip, while Vaucoupin 2024 moves toward golden colour, banana, brioche, buttery fruit, and supple roundness.

Known for

Chardonnay from Chablis and Bourgogne, shaped by Kimmeridgian soil, a slightly later harvest, and stainless steel cellar work that keeps fruit and mineral character clear.

Notable facts

The story

From cereal fields to Petit Chablis

In the mid 1960s, Philippe Millet arrived at Ferme de Marcault in Tonnerre as a young Beauceron farmer. The farm was devoted to cereals when, in the early 1980s, some of the land became available for AOC Petit Chablis. Millet changed its use, planted nine hectares of Petit Chablis, and began moving the property into wine. The next step was practical too: he acquired vines in AOC Chablis and Chablis 1er Cru Vaucoupin, extending the farm's first wine planting into a range of Chablis appellations. Years later, Baudouin Millet arrived in 1998 with a commerce degree and experience at a large French food conglomerate. The estate eventually added 1.75 hectares of Bourgogne Chardonnay in 2020, alongside its Chablis holdings.

From the atlas

Domaine Baudouin Millet

At A Glance

Ferme de Marcault in Tonnerre began as the home of Philippe Millet, a cereal farmer, and became the base of a Chardonnay estate. Domaine Baudouin Millet now covers almost 16 hectares: 9 hectares of Petit Chablis, 4 hectares of Chablis, 1 hectare of Chablis 1er Cru Vaucoupin, and 1.75 hectares of Bourgogne Chardonnay added in 2020. Stainless steel keeps the core wines focused on fruit and mineral character, while slightly later harvesting brings more ripeness and depth.

The Producer

Domaine Baudouin Millet is a Bourgogne estate built around Chardonnay from the Chablis area. Its largest holding is Petit Chablis, the broadest expression of the domaine's main white wine style. Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru Vaucoupin, Bourgogne Chardonnay, small quantities of sourced Grand Cru, and Crémant de Bourgogne complete the range.

Baudouin Millet arrived at the family estate in 1998 after studying commerce and working for a large French food conglomerate. His route from industrial food business to hands-on Chardonnay production gives the domaine a practical history: the wines are made across several appellations, but the cellar keeps the main range in stainless steel so grape and place remain at the centre.

Place

The estate is rooted at Ferme de Marcault in Tonnerre, within Bourgogne and close to the appellations that define Chablis. The labels mark distinct legal positions: Bourgogne Chardonnay is the regional Bourgogne wine, Petit Chablis and Chablis are separate AOCs, and Vaucoupin is a Chablis 1er Cru wine. Moving through those names changes the range from a broad regional Chardonnay to increasingly specific Chablis appellation wines.

The holdings also explain the estate's balance between volume and detail. Nine hectares of Petit Chablis provide the largest part of the range, four hectares of Chablis occupy the middle position, and one hectare of Vaucoupin supplies the more limited 1er Cru bottling.

Soil And Site

The estate links its Chardonnay to Chablis's signature Kimmeridgian soil and aims to preserve the grape's mineral character. That focus gives the wines a place-based line alongside their fruit, especially in the stainless-steel-aged bottles where oak does not cover the relationship between Chardonnay and site.

Bourgogne Chardonnay extends that work beyond the Chablis appellations. Its documented profile combines fruitiness and minerality, giving the newer 2020 planting a regional label with the same Chardonnay and mineral thread.

Story

Philippe Millet began the estate as a farmer, then moved from cereal cultivation into wine production when land became available for AOC Petit Chablis in the early 1980s. Further acquisitions brought Chablis and Chablis 1er Cru Vaucoupin into the range. The farm's direction changed, and the labels changed with it.

Baudouin's arrival in 1998 carried the estate into its next phase. His commercial training preceded a life in wine, and the domaine later added 1.75 hectares of Bourgogne Chardonnay in 2020. The current range therefore holds two timelines at once: a Chablis-focused estate that began with Petit Chablis, and a newer regional Bourgogne wine that broadens the Chardonnay offering.

Vineyards And Cellar

The estate harvests slightly later than neighbouring producers to seek greater ripeness and depth. In the glass, that choice supports fuller fruit and weight, while the estate's stainless-steel tanks keep the wines from taking on a strong oak character.

Petit Chablis 2024 is made from 100% Chardonnay and aged on fine lees in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats. Stainless steel is the main cellar tool because it preserves clean fruit and mineral character. Oak appears only rarely, for Grand Cru cuvées made with sourced fruit from Les Preuses and Vaudésir.

The domaine belongs to the Independent Winegrowers of France and obtained HVE, or High Environmental Value, certification in 2020. Those details place the current estate beside a documented environmental commitment, while the cellar remains centred on temperature-controlled stainless steel.

Wines

Petit Chablis is the foundation of the range and the estate's largest vineyard holding. The 2024 wine is 100% Chardonnay, with a light yellow colour and green highlights, citrus and floral aromas, a rich aromatic attack, balanced acidity, and mineral grip. Its stainless-steel élevage keeps the profile direct.

Chablis occupies four hectares and sits between Petit Chablis and Vaucoupin in the estate's appellation range. Chablis 1er Cru Vaucoupin covers one hectare. The 2024 Vaucoupin is also 100% Chardonnay and stainless-steel aged, with a golden colour, banana and brioche notes, buttery fruit, and supple roundness. Bourgogne Chardonnay, added in 2020, carries fruitiness and minerality in balanced proportion. Small quantities of sourced Grand Cru from Les Preuses and Vaudésir, along with Crémant de Bourgogne, complete the wider portfolio.

In The Glass

The range moves from a bright, aromatic opening to a rounder, more generous middle register. Petit Chablis begins with citrus and flowers, then brings a rich attack into balanced acidity and a mineral finish. The stainless-steel vats preserve the clean edge of those aromas, while fine lees ageing adds breadth without an obvious oak flavour.

Vaucoupin changes the sequence. Its golden colour and banana, brioche, and buttery fruit notes lead into a softer, supple palate. Bourgogne Chardonnay sits between fruit and mineral character, giving the regional bottling an easy-to-read balance. Across the range, Chardonnay stays central, but appellation and harvest choice alter the weight, aroma, and finish.

A Bottle To Understand It

Petit Chablis 2024 is the right first bottle for Domaine Baudouin Millet. It is 100% Chardonnay from the estate's largest holding, aged on fine lees in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats. In the glass, light yellow colour with green highlights leads to citrus and floral aromas, followed by a rich aromatic attack, balanced acidity, and mineral grip. The bottle brings together the estate's main choices, the Chablis focus, stainless-steel cellar work, and a direct expression of Chardonnay, without asking the first taste to decode a rare cuvée.

Anecdote

In the mid-1960s, Philippe Millet arrived at Ferme de Marcault in Tonnerre as a young Beauceron farmer. The land was being cultivated for cereals when an opportunity appeared in the early 1980s: part of it became available for AOC Petit Chablis. Millet changed the farm's direction, planted nine hectares of Petit Chablis, and began building a wine estate where cereal fields had stood. He then acquired vines in AOC Chablis and Chablis 1er Cru Vaucoupin, turning one practical change in land use into the first shape of the range that Domaine Baudouin Millet carries today.

Final Word

Domaine Baudouin Millet offers a clear progression through Chardonnay, from Bourgogne Chardonnay and Petit Chablis to Chablis and Vaucoupin. The wines connect that appellation order to later harvesting, Kimmeridgian soil, and stainless-steel cellar work. Petit Chablis 2024 gives the most direct taste of the estate's citrus, floral, and mineral register.

Sources

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