Why it matters
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 and vineyards
Where the wines begin
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.
In the cellar
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.
Wines to know
The range in view
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.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
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.