Bachelet-Monnot Maranges 1er Cru Clos de la Boutière 2023

Bachelet-Monnot owns half of the Clos de la Boutière, a Maranges Premier Cru on the Santenay border planted to 90-year-old vines.

Maranges is the last appellation of the Côte de Beaune, running south from Santenay, and its Premiers Crus have long been among the better-value red Burgundies. Boutière appears to derive from an old French term for the end of the field, which suits a vineyard that lies at the very end of Clos Roussots on the boundary with Santenay. The clos carries more clay than its neighbours, and that shows in the wine's added richness. The fruit comes from a single parcel of mass-selection vines that deliver both ripeness and power, and in this vintage the crop was entirely destemmed. Ageing involves 40% new oak, with roughly 30% whole bunch in the ferment, which explains the lifted aromatics and the seductive texture.

Drink from two years and through the next decade, with roast lamb, game birds or aged cheese, at 16 to 18°C.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.

Type: Red Wine
Style: Medium-bodied, Aromatic, Fine-grained
Grape Varietal: Pinot Noir
Tastes Like: Comparable to a fine Pinot Noir, but more savoury and earthy than a fruit-driven New World example
Alcohol Percentage: 13%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Maranges 1er Cru AOC
Region: Maranges, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France
Terroir: An enclosed clos on limestone-rich slopes at the southern end of the Côte de Beaune
Aging: Raised in used casks before a period in cement vat, with a proportion of whole bunches
Serving Temperature: 16–18℃ – Serve slightly below room temperature

The Bachelet brothers are better known for their Chassagne and Puligny whites, but have built a substantial holding in Maranges, now three hectares with an average vine age of sixty years. The aim throughout has been a finer, more aromatic style of red from the Côte’s southern reaches.

Maranges lies at the far southern end of the Côte de Beaune, next to Santenay, and has long been overlooked; the appellation’s reds are increasingly worth attention as growers there work with more precision. Clos de la Boutière is an enclosed premier cru within the appellation, and the walls of a clos tend to give a consistent, clearly defined expression of the site from one year to the next.

Pork: Perfect with roast pork, smoked sausage or a Burgundian potée
Poultry: Excellent with coq au vin, roast chicken or guinea fowl
Mushroom: Pairs beautifully with a mushroom pie, ceps or morels
Charcuterie: Ideal with terrines, jambon persillé and cured meats

Cîteaux: A Burgundian abbey cheese, supple and savoury alongside the wine
Soumaintrain: Washed rind and gently pungent, meeting the wine’s earthiness
Comté: Nutty and firm, softening the wine’s tannin
Chaource: Soft and lactic, complementing the wine’s lighter frame

Potée Bourguignonne (Burgundian Pork and Vegetable Hotpot)

Ingredients (Serves 6):

• 800g smoked pork shoulder or collar
• 4 Morteau or other smoked sausages
• 200g smoked bacon in one piece
• 1 small savoy cabbage, quartered
• 4 carrots, halved lengthways
• 3 turnips, quartered
• 6 potatoes, halved
• 2 leeks, cut into lengths
• 1 onion studded with 3 cloves
• 1 bouquet garni
• Cracked black pepper
• Dijon mustard, to serve

Instructions:

1. Put the pork shoulder and bacon in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring slowly to the boil.
2. Skim the surface thoroughly, then add the clove-studded onion and bouquet garni.
3. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 90 minutes.
4. Add the carrots, turnips and leeks and cook for a further 20 minutes.
5. Add the potatoes and the sausages and cook for 20 minutes more.
6. Blanch the cabbage separately in salted water for 10 minutes so it keeps its colour, then add it to the pot to warm through.
7. Season with plenty of cracked pepper. The smoked meats should provide enough salt.
8. Lift everything onto a warm platter, moisten with a little broth and serve with Dijon mustard.

The winter dish of the Burgundian countryside, and a natural fit for Maranges. These are reds built for the table rather than the cellar: enough structure to handle smoked pork, and enough freshness to work with cabbage, turnip and a sharp spoonful of mustard.