BACHELET-MONNOT
Marc & Alexandre Bachelet
Domaine Bachelet-Monnot is a relatively new estate in the Burgundy wine scene, established in 2005 by two brothers, Marc and Alexandre. Having roots from a family of winegrowers, they started their own venture by renting vines around their hometown, Dezize-les-Maranges, a tiny village located in the southern part of the Côte de Beaune. In 2011, they took the opportunity to take back some vines from their father and purchase some others, reaching the current size of the Domaine: 23ha.
Domaine Bachelet-Monnot is a relatively new estate in the Burgundy wine scene, established in 2005 by two brothers, Marc and Alexandre. Having roots from a family of winegrowers, they started their own venture by renting vines around their hometown, Dezize-les-Maranges, a tiny village located in the southern part of the Côte de Beaune. In 2011, they took the opportunity to take back some vines from their father and purchase some others, reaching the current size of the Domaine: 23ha.
One of the most interesting approaches of the two brothers is their ability to reveal with the same care the most prestigious appellations (Bâtard-Montrachet, Puligny 1er cru Folatières…) as well as the less known (Maranges, Santenay). On top of that, their winemaking skills express themselves with the same level of quality in whites and reds, their reputation being now clearly made on both.
This eclectic panel of appellations and terroirs brings to their wines a stylistic diversity, each cuvée displaying individual attributes and virtues, reflective and true to their terroirs.
All their vines are farmed organically without certification, Marc and Alexandre following their own farming path through some key ideas: no herbicides in the vineyard with regular light ploughing to aerate the soil and as much manual work as possible to preserve their splendid old vines (~ 50 yo) inherited from family massale selection. They generally pick grapes at an early stage, preserving the electric acidity that characterized their wines.
In the cellar, the white grapes are crushed and pressed for a long time (about three hours) to naturally select the best fine lees and avoid settling too long. The two brothers have decided to use only big barrels (350-litre barrels instead of the classic 228-litre barrels generally used in Burgundy) to make fresher wines for keeping, avoid over-exposure to oxygen and stop lees-stirring. The wines are aged in barrels for one year, then racked in a tank for 6-8 months, bringing a natural stability to their wines.
The reds definitely belong to the most compelling Pinot Noir we can find in the southern part of the Côte de Beaune. Each year they show the same level of perfect fruit ripeness, balance and open-knit profile. Marc and Alexandre Bachelet know how to tackle the recent warm vintages trend, undertaking gentle extraction, shorter vatting time, less new wood and a low level of sulphur. Fruits are mostly destemmed but the brothers adapt themselves on each vintage profile. They have definitely put Maranges reds on the map with some delicious cuvées showing each year a crispy, lively texture with melting tannins and a spicy note lingering on the aftertaste.
In the cellar, the white grapes are crushed and pressed for a long time (about three hours) to naturally select the best fine lees and avoid settling too long. The two brothers have decided to use only big barrels (350-litre barrels instead of the classic 228-litre barrels generally used in Burgundy) to make fresher wines for keeping, avoid over-exposure to oxygen and stop lees-stirring. The wines are aged in barrels for one year, then racked in a tank for 6-8 months, bringing a natural stability to their wines.
The reds definitely belong to the most compelling Pinot Noir we can find in the southern part of the Côte de Beaune. Each year they show the same level of perfect fruit ripeness, balance and open-knit profile. Marc and Alexandre Bachelet know how to tackle the recent warm vintages trend, undertaking gentle extraction, shorter vatting time, less new wood and a low level of sulphur. Fruits are mostly destemmed but the brothers adapt themselves on each vintage profile. They have definitely put Maranges reds on the map with some delicious cuvées showing each year a crispy, lively texture with melting tannins and a spicy note lingering on the aftertaste.
The best summary to describe Bachelet-Monnot would be surely to the credit of Neal Martin, as wisely said,
“My budget would actually be invested in the outstanding Maranges premier crus such as Fussière and Clos de la Boutière that I strongly suspect will represent some of the best values over the entire of the Côte d’Or this vintage, and if I were a millionaire…I would still buy them.” (Wine Advocate).
REGION OF PRODUCTION
Burgundy - France
APPELLATION
Bâtard-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, Maranges, Santenay
FOUNDED
2005
VINEYARD
23 hectares
CLIMATE
Continental climate
SOIL COMPOSITION
Clay-Limestone
VARIETIES GROWN
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
AGRICULTURE
Organic