2020 Domaine Bachelet-Monnot, Chassagne-Montrachet, White Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, France.
The Domaine Bachelet-Monnot, led by Alexandre and Marc Bachelet, is a label to search for and this flinty 2020 Chassagne-Montrachet is everything classic and modern white Burgundy lovers want with driving mineral intensity, slightly reductive and electric on the palate with a racy and stony medium bodied mouth feel, even in such a concentrated vintage, it is pure and excellent stuff. Fans of Roulot and Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey should take note of these steely/brisk Bachelet-Monnot wines, with this one hitting the sweet spot, it delivers lemon curd, green apple, white peach and quince fruits, along with chalky wet stones, matchstick, hazelnut, citrus blossom and clove spice. The wood is subtle and the underlying richness is quite impressive without taking away from the energy and vivacious nature. The Bachelet’s whites, they say, go through a long or slow pressing before being fermented in barrel with indigenous yeasts in larger 350L casks, which have significant following these days, and are lees aged for 12 months in barrel and an additional 6 months in stainless steel tank before release.
A winery that is getting loads of hype recently, especially for their beautiful whites is Domaine Bachelet-Monnot, with brothers Alexandre and Marc Bachelet working with top notch parcels in the Côte de Beaune, such as Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Folatières, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Referts, Grand Cru Batard Montrachet, Chassagne Montrachet, as seen here, and St. Aubin En Remilly, a real hot spot in recent years, along with quality vineyards within Maranges and in Santenay. I had only had their Pinot Noir before, and I really enjoyed that, but I can see why the whites had been turning heads and I am excited to follow the Bachelet’s in their latest releases. Skurnik Wines, who import Domaine Bachelet-Monnot, reveal that the AC Chassagne-Montrachet comes from 6 unique parcels, all carefully and sustainably farmed in Chassagne, with Lieu-Dits including La Canière, La Chêne, Les Benoîtes, Le Pot Bois, En Journoblot and Les Houlières, set on clay and limestone slopes and are at least 30+ year old vines. The well judge use of oak here promotes transparency and purity of form, even with this dense vintage, the élevage in the 350L barrels was done in just around 20% new wood, which feels just about perfect in this 2020, which I absolutely adore, and I can’t wait to try the 2021 and the upcoming 2022, which is due out soon.
($80 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive