Bachelet-Monnot, Pinot Noir, Pommard "Les Chanlins" Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France 2021

Just above 1er Chanlins on the Volnay side of Pommard, just next to Rugiens. 40+ year old vines grown on red clay and chalk soil on a very steep parcel at 400m that is worked by hand. 15% whole cluster, indigenous yeast fermentation and aged in barrel (15% new).

Brothers Marc and Alexandre Bachelet might be young but they are quick studies. They started Domaine Bachelet-Monnot in 2005 from a combination of family vineyards and long term leases from their father (Bachelet) and uncle (Monnot) . Their grandfather founded Domaine Bernard Bachelet et Fils in Chassagne-Montrachet and their father made the wines there. They started with ten hectares and now farm just over 22 hectares of vines.

The Bachelet brothers adopt a labor-intensive approach in the vineyards to achieve their goals of naturally balanced and precise wines. No herbicide is used and the rows are ploughed regularly to manage weeds, aerate the soil, and cut the horizontal roots to encourage deep growth. Strict de-budding is carried out to keep the yields low. All grapes are handpicked at optimum ripeness.