2020 Maranges, Vieilles Vignes, Bachelet-Monnot, Burgundy

Maranges is the southernmost wine appellation of the Côte de Beaune and not as well known as it deserves to be for its robust red wines. The AC only came into existence in 1989 with the amalgamation of the villages of Cheilly, Dezize and Sampigny.
140 hectares of village Maranges.
100 hectares of premier cru vineyards (20 in all). Best vineyards include La Fussière
Though a very small amount of white wine is made, the lion’s share is Pinot Noir – firm, sturdy wines which need a gentle hand to manage the fruit. Normally drunk best at three to five years old.Recommended Producers:
Contat Grangé, and Camille Giroud who has made a speciality out of Marange wine since 2004

Domaine Bachelet-Monnot in Dézize (Cote de Beaune) was recently created by Marc and Alexandre Bachelet, grandchildren of Bernard Bachelet.

They own 10ha of vine in all, covering Maranges, with 1er cru wine La Fussière in both colours and the semi-monopoly of Clos de la Boutière, Santenay and Puligny-Montrachet, including 1ers crus Referts and Folatières along with grands crus Bienvenues-Bâtard and Bâtard-Montrachet. The whites wines are exceptionally fine.

Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director and author of the award-winning Inside Burgundy comprehensive handbook.

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.

Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey ""sous-bois"" nuances emerging.

The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.