Une aubaine en IP: du pinot pas cher?!!

eRobertParker.com #216
Dec 2014 Neal Martin (90-92) Drink: 2016 - 2026
From 75-year-old vines from a selection massale and situated on limestone soils, the 2013 Maranges 1er Cru Clos de la Boutière has a well-defined, very pure bouquet with violet aromas developing in the glass. This has class. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins, a pastille-like purity at its core, with raspberry and strawberries segueing into a lightly spiced finish. Excellent.

For those venturing down to Burgundy, their journey south usually comes to a halt around Chassagne, for thereafter the appellations are not quite as gilded or as illustrious as those located to the north in the Côte d’Or. That’s a shame. I advise heading to the quaint village square in Santenay and then the panoramic drive around the southern contours of the Montagne des Trois Croix toward the village of Dezize-lès-Maranges. Here, you will find one of the best producers: Bachelet-Monnot. Brothers Marc and Alec Bachelet are producing exquisite expressions of both Côte Chalonnais and Côte de Beaune wines that I have regaled in previous reports. Their 2013s reaffirmed my position that these boys know exactly what they are doing: mineral-driven, terroir-defined expressions of Chardonnay with a knack for sending tingles down the spine. As usual, we located ourselves in their refurbished tasting room (my only complaint is that the iron table is so cold I lose circulation to my hands.)

“The 2013 has a great identity of terroir, slightly more acidity [pH around 3.10 and 3.15] and very good balance. We had better yields than in 2012,” Alec explained, “but they do not have the concentration of the 2012s. It’s strange, but in recent years we have had concentration but not through the sunshine. There was no rot in 2013 but we wanted to keep the acidity so we didn’t pick too late, between September 22 and October 4 at around 25 hectoliter per hectare. There was a very low juice-to-skin ratio. The wines were so austere in barrel and I was beginning to get worried – the malolactics were very drawn out. Then we racked them and the wines just exploded.”

I was absolutely smitten by their 2013s that are simply beautifully crafted and bursting full of minerality. Their Bâtard-Montrachet 2013 is one to take on all comers while their Bourgogne Blanc was among the best that I encountered. They just deliver the precision and terroir-expression Burgundy-lovers seek. If you have not discovered them yet, now’s the time.

Patrick Désy a écrit:Tu me fais suivre un échantillon?

Pierre Beauregard a écrit:J'en prendrais 3