Wine of the week: a Burgundy with rakish swagger
I cannot think of a finer value red Burgundy on the shelves today, says Matthew Jukes.
2014 Maranges, 1er Cru La Fussière Rouge, Domaine Bachelet-Monnot, Burgundy, France
£25.49, justerinis.com
Marc and Alexandre Bachelet made their first wines in the 2005 vintage and I have bought and also written up their wines every year since. Their modern outlook and boundless energy coupled with their innate respect for their special terroirs have meant that, from a standing start, they are now regarded as one of the most accomplished domaines in the region. Their wines usually sell out during en primeur season each year (this wine was sold as a “future” in January 2016) and so it is very exciting to find this parcel of brilliant wine at a highly advantageous price.
The 2014s were slow to emerge from their shells and, without the sweet fruit associated with a warmer vintage, many were quick to dismiss them as rigid and blunt, and Maranges is, perhaps, the least fashionable of all Côte d’Or villages. But it is home to a killer pair of Bachelet-Monnot wines, which both come from the Premier Cru vineyard La Fussière. If you are unfamiliar with this wine, think of a smart Volnay and add some rakish swagger. Given half an hour to breathe, this pinot blossoms into a stunner and I cannot think of a finer value red Burgundy on the shelves today. Just to prove that the J&B 2014 trick is not a one-off, 2014 Les Tourelles de Longueville, Château Pichon-Baron, Pauillac (£32.69) is the claret equivalent of this Burgundy – utterly delicious and perfectly priced.
Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com)