2020 Domaine Bachelet-Monnot Bourgogne Rouge

From the beautiful 2020 vintage with very low yields due to frost comes this delightful Pinot Noir. This red Burgundy comes from three plots: one third comes from a plot of old vines in the Hautes-Côtes; another third comes from vineyards in Maranges (village level); and the rest from a Burgundian plot on the edge of Puligny-Montrachet. The Puligny component brings perfume, the Maranges brings depth of fruit and the Hautes-Côtes brings structure and lots of high perfumes. The age of these sites is seriously impressive for a red wine of this level, with 60, 70 and 80 year old vines contributing to the blend. The Bourgogne Rouge 2020 was fermented naturally in concrete tanks with around 20% whole bunches and matured only in used barrels, as Marc Bachelet felt that the generous flesh of the vintage did not require new oak.

Domaine Bachelet-Monnot

The Bachelet family is very well known in the Côte d'Or, they own plots on some of the most famous vineyards in Burgundy. Nevertheless, the family had some disagreements about the way things were going on at the estate. The youngest generation, brothers Marc and Alex, did not panic and studied viticulture at university and did internships elsewhere in France and America. When they returned to Burgundy, their grandfather decided not to give parts of his land to his own sons, but to his two grandsons. From day one, both boys threw themselves into their new work with great dedication. 2005 was the first harvest year that Marc and Alex Bachelet worked independently. The gentlemen have in common that they are both enormous perfectionists and also very eager to learn. They continuously try to improve and perfect things at the estate and with every visit things have changed, from the size of the barrels, the duration of the maturation, to the temperature of the cellar. In addition to the great wines they make in the prestigious villages of Puligny and Chassagne, Marc and Alexandre Bachelet also make exemplary wines in Maranges and Santenay.