Bachelet-Monnot Maranges Vieilles Vignes Rouge 2024

Bachelet-Monnot Maranges Vieilles Vignes Rouge is a village red from two old-vine plots at the southern tip of the Côte de Beaune.

Maranges is the last appellation of the Côte de Beaune before the Côte Chalonnaise, spread across the communes of Cheilly, Dezize and Sampigny-lès-Maranges. It has long been overlooked, which is part of why Marc and Alexandre Bachelet, whose domaine is based here, have been able to work such good sites. This cuvée comes from two plots: Le Chamery in Cheilly-lès-Maranges and Le Clos in Sampigny-lès-Maranges. The vines are massale selections of more than 50 years, and the soils tend towards red clay shot through with rocky chalk. Alexandre Bachelet describes these terroirs as reasonably warm and will sometimes retain a proportion of whole bunches to balance the depth of fruit, though the fruit was racy enough here that it was not needed. Ageing is in barrel with little new oak.

Good now and better after three to five years, with roast lamb, coq au vin or hard mountain cheese. Serve at 16–18°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, 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.