This Bourgogne Blanc comes from some seriously impressive terroir, namely 1.3 hectares of 20- to 50-year-old vines in the Puligny area (spread across four parcels) and a plot of young-vine Chassagne on chalky soil. These vineyards—combined with the quality of the viticulture, harvest date and confident, hands-off winemaking—offer up one of Burgundy’s finest Bourgognes. The ’23 matured for 18 months in 20% new oak.

This wine has been in the Bachelet-Monnot portfolio since 2012 and comes from four parcels of mature vines that average 30 years’ age. The key terroir is the lieu-dit Les Bras, which is a continuation of the Maranges 1er Cru La Fussière. Le Chainey provides the balance. These vineyards are exceptionally chalky and, in 2023 deliver mouthwatering tension with fine grip.

La Fussière is the largest climat of Maranges (next to Santenay at the very south of the Côte de Beaune), covering an area of almost 35 hectares. It faces south towards the start of the Côte Chalonnaise, on a slope between 290 and 400 metres’ elevation. Alongside a cracking red from these marly limestone soils, Bachelet-Monnot has long crafted an exceptionally pure and taut white Burgundy from four small parcels (with an average age of 40-year-old vines) occupying the vineyard's highest reaches. Raised with 25% new oak.

This fleshy yet precise Chassagne comes from eight well-sited parcels across the village, including La Canière, Le Chêne, Les Benoîtes, Pot Bois, En Journoblot and Les Houillères. The parcels lie below the Premiers Crus except Pot Bois, which is one of Chassagne’s highest vineyards and sits above the Clos Saint-Jean. Les Houillères also deserves a callout, sitting, as it does, below Bâtard. The average age across these vines is 30 years. This is always outstanding, and the 2023 is no exception.

It was the Bachelet brothers’ grandfather who first planted this vineyard, and the vines he put in the ground are now over 90 years old! Clos du Cromin sits on the north side of the Meursault vineyards, near the border of Volnay. Surrounded by dry-stone walls and with a south/southeast exposure, the soil is deep and rich in red clay, although there is still a lot of rock at the bottom. It’s a powerful terroir—a sunny site that ripens early—and equally conducive to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Marc and Alex Bachelet work with a small 0.21-hectare parcel of vines here which rate as some of the oldest vines in Meursault. Alex Gambal, Patrick Javillier and J. Confuron-Cotetidot also farm this vineyard, but in our experience, these growers typically craft a fleshier style of wine than the Puligny-esque example from Bachelet Monnot.

The Domaine now works with 12 parcels in Puligny, many of which feature in this village cuvée. In the main, this wine comes from five well-placed sites—Les Meix, Les Enseignères, Corvée des Vignes, Les Noyers Bret and Les Houillères—where the youngest vines are 25 years old and the average age is considerably higher. Like all the whites, this fermented spontaneously and was raised in 350-litre barrels.

The brothers work a low-yielding, 40-year-old parcel of vines in this highly regarded terroir, right next to those of Leflaive and just below the Truffière vineyard. The name Folatières is said to derive from folles-terres (crazy earth), perhaps due to the violent erosion that occurs on these slopes during heavy rain. The vineyard is literally a stone’s throw away from the Pucelles and Clavoillon Premiers Crus (bordering the latter). It also lies at the same altitude as Chevalier-Montrachet. So, it’s a very serious terroir. Bachelet-Monnot’s parcel—at around half a hectare—lies in the lower, eastern pocket of the vineyard, where the soil is very rocky. This parcel always produces tiny bunches of fruit with little juice, and Marc Bachelet notes that although the vines are “only” 40-something years old, the plants behave as if they are twice the age. It's a serious “wow” wine.

This vineyard carries the local nickname Petit Bâtard on account of its similar clay-rich soils and the quality and texture of the wines it routinely delivers—both reminiscent of the nearby Grand Cru, Bâtard-Montrachet. The Bachelet brothers farm a 0.45-hectare parcel of 40-year-old vines near the top of the slope (next door to Sauzet’s) under Les Combettes Premier Cru. The soils here are very stony, which brings generosity and flesh, but there’s no shortage of mineral charge and chewy extract. It was raised entirely in 350-litre barrels, 25% new.

Bachelet-Monnot’s Bâtard-Montrachet comes from a 0.14-hectare postage stamp of 50-year-old vines at the cooler, Puligny end of Bâtard (right at the top of the slope and immediately below Le Montrachet) and is planted to a density of 15,000 vines per hectare. Low yields are standard, with the density making pruning ‘short’ with two short four-bud ‘baguettes.’ This is consistently one of the most mineral and refined examples of Bâtard we have encountered. Even in sunny vintages, the power associated with this famous site manifests itself as intensity and drive rather than fat. The wine was raised in one- and two-year-old 350-litre barrels. So, no new oak and only 800 bottles made. The notes below tell you all you need to know. Sadly, we have next to none.

One-third comes from a parcel of old-vine Pinot Fin in the Hautes-Côtes, another third from vines in Maranges (village level) and the remainder from a Bourgogne parcel on the edge of Puligny-Montrachet. The Puligny component brings perfume, the Maranges brings depth of fruit, and the Hautes-Côtes brings structure and high-toned perfume. The age of these sites is seriously impressive for a red of this level, with 60-, 70- and 80-year-old vines in the mix. The Bourgogne Rouge fermented spontaneously in concrete tanks, with some new barrels used in the maturation this year. It saw 50% whole bunch and 20% new oak; one year in wood and six months in tank.

This charismatic old-vine cuvée is drawn from Le Chamery in Cheilly-lès-Maranges and Le Clos in Sampigny-lès-Maranges. The mass-selection vines are 40 years old, and the soils tend towards red clay, shot through with rocky chalk. Alexandre Bachelet notes that these terroirs are reasonably warm, and he uses a significant percentage of bunches (25% in 2023) to balance the depth of fruit. 25% new wood only.

La Fussière is the largest climat of Maranges (at the very south of the Côte de Beaune, next to Santenay), covering an area of almost 35 hectares. It faces south towards the start of the Côte Chalonnaise, on a slope at an altitude between 290 and 400 metres. With the addition of a new parcel in 2020, the Bachelet vines cover three hectares with an average age of 60 years. This cuvée comprises seven parcels. This wine spent 12 months in used casks and was then racked to cement vats where it rested for roughly six months. 

Bachelet has always aimed to craft finer, more aromatic reds from the Côte’s southern reaches, and this limestone-rich site has furthered this aim. The addition of 30% whole bunches helped as well. In addition to the reviews below, Jasper Morris opines: “if you don’t know or don’t rate Maranges, this wine is the wake-up call.” Hear, hear! A gorgeous wine that in today’s Burgundy—and bear in mind that this is Burgundy Premier Cru—represents brilliant value!

This is the Bachelets’ first release from this highly regarded Premier Cru, which is a continuation of Santenay’s Clos Rousseau. The family has owned vines here for decades, though the parcel was too small to vinify separately; this fruit was previously blended into the village wines. From 2022, they had a new fermage agreement in place, taking the total surface to just over half a hectare, so a single cuvée is now possible. The vineyard has a band of hard limestone under brown marl soils. It has 60% bunches this year, and zero sulphur was added until racking. Next-level for the appellation and another value wine. 

Les Charmes Dessus is a site just under the Clos Rousseau Premier Cru on the southeastern slopes of Santenay. While it’s reasonably close to Clos de la Boutière, the terroir is markedly different. Here, the red clay and rocky limestone soils produce aromatic, racy reds of great finesse and freshness. To put it another way, this vineyard is often referred to as a ‘white terroir,’ and Marc Bachelet tells us this site always delivers the best acidity in the reds, regardless of the year. From half a hectare of 50-year-old vines, it fermented with roughly 30% bunches. 

Les Prarons Dessus is one of Santenay’s northernmost vineyards, adjacent to Chassagne Premier Cru Morgeot and just beneath Clos de Tavannes. The chalky soils here are rich in red clay, which, combined with the old vines, gives a darker, rounder Santenay with more flesh and finer tannins. This incorporates one-third whole bunches, and the wine was raised in traditional 228-litre barrels (20% new). Incredibly fine, this is more ‘Chambolle’ in style when compared to the ‘Gevrey’ style of Charmes.

This is our second allocation from the brothers’ Pommard which mostly hails from vines in Chanlins, a village lieu-dit that lies just above the Premier Cru of the same name on the Volnay border. The 0.25-hectare parcel of 40-year-old vines comes from Alex and Marc Bachelet’s father, who sold the fruit to négociants until 2011. At 400 metres, it’s one of the highest and steepest vineyards of the Côte de Beaune, which, along with the stony, chalk-rich soils, results in a pretty and mid-weighted ‘Volnay expression’ of Pommard. There is also a quarter from La Vache, a well sited vineyard that lies above Les Rugiens-Hautes, the wine fermented with 50% bunches and was raised with 30% new oak barrels.