Chassagne-Montrachet by Domaine Bachelet-Monnot 2014

In 2005 Marc and Alex Bachelet formed Domaine Bachelet-Monnot. Given the combination of exceptional vineyards, an excellent vintage, and the brothers’ attention to detail in the vines and in the cellar, the first release of the domain’s Puligny wines garnered immediate recognition, locally as well as internationally. In the conservative world of Burgundy’s top communes, such rapid rise to prominence is as rare as it is telling. The brothers do the Côte de Beaune’s rising generation proud.

The domain farms just over twenty hectares (50 acres) of vines. It is a mix of family-owned vineyards and long-term leased vineyards. Marc and Alex’s grandfather were vignerons and created Domaine Bernard Bachelet et Fils in Chassagne-Montrachet. Their father, Jean-François Bachelet, made wine for most of his professional life at this domain.

Following his studies at the Lycée Viticole in Beaune, Marc did internships at Domaines Lucien Muzard in Santenay and Parent in Pommard, as well as stints in the southern Rhône and in Australia. After similar studies, his younger brother Alex did internships at Domaines Nouveau in the Hautes Côtes and Bouzereau in Meursault, as well as at Monteillet in Côte-Rôtie. Both boys worked five harvests at their father’s domain prior to embarking on Bachelet-Monnot.

The seat of the domain is the family homestead in Dezize-lès-Maranges, just southwest of Santenay. In the vineyards, no herbicide is used and the rows are plowed regularly to manage weeds, aerate the soil, and cut the horizontal roots to encourage deep growth. In the cellar, the percentage of new barrels used is roughly 25%; the wine is aged for twelve months before being racked into tank (or, in the case of the reds, concrete vats) for another six to eight months of ageing on the lees before bottling. This, to one degree or another, is the general pattern of élevage for all of the wines made here of both colors.