Bachelet-Monnot Maranges Vieilles Vignes Rouge 2023

Bachelet-Monnot's Maranges Vieilles Vignes is drawn from two old-vine parcels at the southern tip of the Côte de Beaune.

Maranges is the last appellation on the Côte before the Chalonnaise begins, spanning three communes whose names all end in lès-Maranges. It is better known for red than white and has long been a source of value in a region where that is scarce. The fruit here comes from Le Chamery in Cheilly-lès-Maranges and Le Clos in Sampigny-lès-Maranges, from mass-selection vines of about 40 years planted on red clay shot through with rocky chalk. Alexandre and Marc Bachelet, better known for their whites at Puligny and Chassagne, note that these are relatively warm terroirs, so a meaningful proportion of whole bunches — 25% in this case — is used to balance the depth of the fruit. New oak is held to a quarter.

Drink from two years and hold up to eight; serve at 16–18°C with roast lamb, duck or a mushroom dish.

*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, Concentrated, Aromatic
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 AOC
Region: Maranges, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France
Terroir: The domaine’s oldest parcels 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. This Vieilles Vignes bottling is drawn from the domaine’s oldest parcels in the appellation, where lower yields and deeper roots give greater concentration than the village designation would usually suggest.

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.