2017 Bachelet-Monnot Santenay Les Charmes, Burgundy

Les Charmes is a site just under the Clos Rousseau 1er Cru on the south-eastern slopes of Santenay. While it's reasonably close to Clos de la Boutière the terroir is markedly different. Here the red clay and rocky, limestone soils result in aromatic, racy reds of great finesse and freshness. To put it another way, this vineyard is often referred to as a 'white terroir' and Marc Bachelet tells us that this is always the site that delivers the best acidity in the reds, no matter the year. The 2017 is a beautifully weighted, red-fruited Burgundy that's far, far finer than is often delivered from this commune. The tannins are ripe and powdery and the fruit perfumes the breath long after swallowing. Super classy and, again, an absolute bargain.

"The 2017 Santenay 1er Cru Charmes displays a pretty bouquet of red berries, plums and raw cocoa. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and layered, with tangy acids, a ripe core of fruit and satiny structuring tannins. The Bachelet brothers explain that this site is characterized by well-drained red soils and typically retains elevated acids even at advanced degrees of maturity. Structurally, it's certainly far from the blocky stereotype of Santenay."