Burgundian Craftsman Francois Millet
&
La Biblioteca
By W Peter Hoyne
In the heart of Burgundy, amidst the timeworn vines of Chambolle-Musigny, there stands a man whose philosophy toward winemaking transcends the mechanized processes of modernity. François Millet once oversaw one of the most celebrated domaines in the world at Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé as head winemaker for over 35 years. Now, Francois has taken on a new role as head winemaker collaborating with managing partner James Cahill at La Biblioteca in Dundee, Oregon.
La Biblioteca was founded in 2018 by South Korean businessman Jay Lee and is recognized for crafting high-quality, organically farmed, estate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Aegrina Vineyard in the McMinnville, Oregon AVA and the North Valley. Their name denotes a library where wines tell an endless story of timeless journeys. If it were only that simple, this would be the conclusion of the story, but it is just the introduction to La Biblioteca’s future success.
I must admit that it was one of those celestial moments when I met up with Francois Millet in Willamette Valley during IPNC; he is humble about his immeasurable achievements and charismatic in his metaphoric expressions of winemaking. He can appear as more than mortal as he approaches his craft with reverence as if each vintage were a conversation between the earth and the stars above.
History began early with Francois, when a branch of his family was involved in farming in Jura, France. It seemed inevitable that he would pursue the study of enology in Dijon. His father was a geologist engineer and as Francis recalls he talked a lot about the soils, nature, and geology. Francois was also fascinated with natural science. “I was very interested in trying to understand, which is not easy, the connection between the place and the wine. I think you need to have certain elements about the place in terms of geology, soils, sub-soils - all these natural elements.” When it comes to wine “ I find it so interesting to try to see that connection. It is so complex. The thing that interested me in winemaking and viticulture, of course, is something that is the base of everything. This incredible way of putting in a glass, nature and the place, the future nature of the place inside the vintage.”
Francois realized that with learning at a university, you only apply technology in making wine, but for him, it was much more. What enamored him was the incredible connection between nature, the land and wine. It is as though you are dealing with people. “You see very quickly that you are dealing with persons because the terroir is really a true person, a wine person of course.”
Francois assimilates trying to understand people’s individual personalities with understanding the personality traits and ego of the land in making wine. According to Francois, “it’s really personal because I am making the parallel always with the wines, the land and people. In life, I think the most difficult thing is to deal with people. So, we know that if we want to have a good exchange with somebody, we need to try and understand the person. We try to begin the conversation and see how the person reacts and see if the person is very open, very extravagant, or contrary. In the last case, we are very diplomatic with that type of person.,is
"It is exactly the same with the land. Like people, the land is something that you understand more over time. There are some lands where you must be very gentle with your winemaking approach and others require more of a hands-on approach." Francois has a connection with the land that is instinctual and almost spiritual.
When I asked Francois who had influenced him in his life, he responded, “I really think that there is a guy, yes, it’s nature. It is really the thing to follow. Nature will never deceive, we can deceive nature by the way. That is the point.”
As Francois envisions his efforts with La Biblioteca in Oregon, “It’s linked to the fact that we really want to understand the place. That ’s what I am doing with the domaine in Oregon. That is what I am trying to do. Trying to understand.” He reflects on his past experience, “with new grapes we do nothing we just let the land speak. Light punch overs to be sure, so that the land is going to speak to you without being forced.” Francois refrains from punch down of the grapes and over extraction. “We let the land speak and we try to observe and understand the energy of the land. Land is an energy, like people.”
The first thing he did with the 2023 vintage at La Biblioteca was to be totally in the back. “To let the land speak and see what is there. And then, for the next vintages to begin to decide if this area needs more. It is his poetry of patience. “We are careful not to offend. Winemaking is a message of peace.”
His temperament is to always be in back of the wine and not in front. Not dominating the wine or the land and learning when to say no by letting the wine find its own voice. As Francois believes “There is a paradox about Pinot Noir, an incredible paradox. It is the fact that the less you do the more you have and it is something that is difficult to accept for a winemaker.” His philosophy is one of restraint and respect and letting the wine find its own identity.
Francois also has an unassuming vision of his legacy. “If people don’t remember me I don’t mind. I am not Napoleon. I just hope my legacy will be wines that make people happy. I hope I will be the modest interpreter of the music.”
To understand François Millet’s wines is to understand the soul of the land itself. His wines are not flashy or bold; they do not overwhelm the senses with power. Instead, they speak softly, revealing their secrets slowly, like a whispered conversation with the earth. They are wines of reflection, meant to be savored and contemplated. He is a custodian of history and a quiet visionary who understands that the true art of winemaking lies not in what we create, but in what we allow to flourish.
