2017 Bachelet-Monnot Maranges 1er Cru La Fussière Rouge, Burgundy

La Fussière is the largest climat of Maranges (at the very south of the Côte de Beaune, next to Santenay), covering an area of almost 35 hectares. It has a south-facing exposure--directly facing the start of the Côte Chalonnaise--and lies on the slope at an altitude of between 290 and 400 metres. The Bachelet's vines cover 2.2 hectares with an average age of 60 years and eleven different parcels are blended to make this cuvée. This wine spent roughly 12 months in used casks and was then racked to cement vats where it rested for roughly six more months. The soils of this site are particularly rich in limestone and this gives the wine a lot of freshness and powdery grip, which beautifully balances the generous texture and fruit flavours of sweet plum and ripe cherry and anise. 

The Bachelet's aim has always been to craft finer, more aromatic reds from the Côte's southern reaches and the introduction of whole bunch vinification (20% in this cuvée) has helped. This has good structure but also plenty of delicious, fleshy fruit; it's absolutely outstanding for the commune and that makes it a total bargain.

"Notions of ripe plums, berries, loamy soil and licorice introduce the 2017 Maranges 1er Cru La Fussière, a medium to full-bodied, velvety wine with rich structuring tannins, a succulent core of fruit and juicy balancing acids. Pure and long on the finish, this hails from soils richer in clay and correspondingly more gourmand than the Clos de la Boutière."