Reviews & Scores
Bachelet's 2019 Côte de Nuits-Villages is shaping up beautifully, mingling notes of cassis, plums and cherries with hints of sweet spices and loamy soil in an inviting bouquet. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and layered, it's concentrated and textural, with lively acids and velvety tannins. If there's a sleeper in the portfolio of this sought-after domaine, this cuvée—from the lieu-dit Queue de Hareng in Brochon—is it. Denis Bachelet has done it again. The 2019 vintage is a brilliant success at this address, and its only disadvantage is that yields were some 40% below average. As a result, Denis decided to combine all his communal Gevrey-Chambertin holdings into one cuvée, so there is no Evocelles this year. I also revisited several 2018s from bottle—I'm ashamed to say, selfishly opting to taste the cuvées I purchased for my own cellar—and was delighted to find that they have realized all the considerable potential they showed from barrel. Of course, followers of this estate will be familiar with the rudiments of the contemporary Bachelet style: old vines, destemmed berries and gentle extraction, followed by élevage in barrels, of which up to 30%—for the Charmes-Chambertin—are new and most of which derive from Tonnellerie Rémond. As I have reported in the past, Bachelet has been punching down less since the 2014 vintage, evolving in the direction of finesse and structural suppleness without sacrificing depth or incipient complexity. This is one of my favorite estates.
WA92January 2021
The 2019 Côte de Nuits-Villages has a pretty bouquet of pure morello cherry, cranberry and and wild strawberry scents. The palate is medium-bodied with tart red fruit on the entry, a slightly granular texture and touches of elderberry fruit on the piquant finish. Excellent. - By Neal Martin on December 2020 Denis Bachelet was the only visit rescued from my cancelled last week of tasting. I had to forego my baguette for lunch, but the wines were worth the sacrifice. Covid aside, the pandemic is not the only challenge that Bachelet has faced in recent months. “The summer dryness means that we are 40% down in terms of quantity,” a rueful Bachelet told me as we descended down the precariously steep steps to the barrel cellar. “There have been three consecutive dry seasons and it is beginning to affect the vines. There is just no water. In 2020 it was even less. I started picking on 14 September.” What can I say that I have not written before? From the entry Côte de Nuits-Villages up to the Charmes-Chambertin, all the 2019s bare the hallmarks of Bachelet’s style: pure red fruit aromas, stunning delineation, machine-tooled precision and bewitching grace on their finishes. The only downside is that the shortfall means there is no Les Evocelles this year.
VM92December 2020
Produced from several plots in Brochon that lie along the northern border, with Fixin in the lieux-dits Queue de Hareng, Vignois and Créole. The fruit is destemmed, fermented on ambient yeasts and aged two winters in cask (one quarter new). The wine is showing lovely, high-toned ripe red berry fruit and a silky purity on the palate, with a crisp, refreshing texture and good length. Drinking Window 2021 - 2029.
DC93October 2020
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