The story begins when the Milan family 's grandfather acquired the estate. It was in this house that his family settled. On the advice of his neighbors and the villagers, he planted vines. Initially, the grapes were harvested and then sold to be processed by other winemakers.

Henri transforms the family home into a vineyard

In 1986, Henri, the son, took over and decided to set up a winery with the ambition of "producing wines that don't give you a headache".

It is for this purpose that he stops using fertilizers and chemicals and turns to organic and biodynamic viticulture by reading Steiner, one of the founding fathers of the movement.

He decided to meet with Burgundy winemakers who had already embarked on this path and learn from them. He then met Claude Courtois, a former winemaker in the Aix region and one of the leading figures of the movement. Henri invited him to examine his land and explore the possibilities of converting to biodynamic farming .

A self-taught winemaker, and thanks to his meeting with Claude, Henri embarked on and persevered in biodynamic viticulture. Thus, in 2000, he proudly released his first vintage without added sulfur!

Like any winemaking adventure, Henri Milan has also experienced lows, but this has not changed his determination to design wines as he wants.

Our favorite wines from Domaine Milan:

• The Valley 2014
• The Butterfly 2018
• The Garden 2014

Théophile follows in his father's footsteps

In 2002, Henri was joined by his son, Théophile, initially present in the sales team, he gradually took part in the winemaking process with the values ​​that his father instilled in him and this way of working that he cherishes.

He is accompanied by his wife, who helps manage the estate. A former sommelier in New York, she is drawn to biodynamic farming and even dedicated her thesis to it in 1980.

Since 2011, Théophile has been developing his own vintages with his own vision, and he will soon take over the reins of the estate!

It is for this purpose that he has surrounded himself with a young and dynamic team like Sébastien Xavier, his cellar master, with whom he developed the 100% Grenache cuvée and who manages the majority of the cellar!

A genuine effort to find originality in the choice of vine varieties

The estate is located at the foot of the Alpilles mountains , straddling two communes: 15 hectares in Saint-Rémy -de- Provence and another 5 in Eyragues. Its terroir is composed primarily of clay and limestone, but also includes blue marl (similar to that found in Chablis), which is ideal for producing white wines and yields exceptional wines for aging. It manages to maintain excellent acidity despite the hot, dry Mediterranean climate.

Unlike his neighboring winemakers, Théophile produces more white and red wines (40% of each color) than rosé. His difference is also evident in his winemaking style, which is more authentic; he doesn't try to force his wines into the standards we are familiar with.

Ugny and Clairette are not among the grape varieties used, although they are very popular in Provence . Instead, Grenache, Vermentino, Marsanne, Roussanne, Chardonnay, Bourboulenc, Muscat, or Pinot Gris bring this typicity to its wines.

For the reds, he turned to Grenache and Syrah, emblematic grape varieties of the Rhône Valley, as well as Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot (which thrives on blue clay soils), and Pinot Noir. This last grape variety, atypical for the region, was planted by Henri Milan, earning him the nickname "The Burgundian of Provence"! Pinot Noir, which closely resembles Grenache, flourishes in this clay terroir.

The soil is worked using horses, which helps the young vines to take root more deeply without disturbing the soil.

Théophile, always looking for new experiments, plans to plant one hectare with the Macabeu, Savagnin, Grenache Gris, Chardonnay and Chenin grape varieties! A real gamble!

The vineyard work follows biodynamic principles; however, the estate has not yet begun the certification process. Indeed, Théophile prefers to work the grapes as he sees fit, remaining true to the family estate's vision.

Find the estate's wines here