2022 St Aubin, Le Charmois, 1er Cru, Jean-Claude Bachelet & Fils, Burgundy
Critics reviews
Clear mid lemon. There is very little apparent on the nose at first. Some fruit, and even some summer flowers, begin to emerge. There is a freshness to this along with concentration. It remains quite discreet, backward, needing the rest of the elevage, but there is a mineral note to the final acidity which promises very well.
Drink 2027 - 2032
Jasper Morris MW, InsideBurgundy.com (December 2023)
The 2022 Saint-Aubin Le Charmois 1er Cru is slightly more reductive than the preceding Champlots, with yellow plum, jasmine and broom scents. This is well-defined, the oak neatly embroidered into the aromatics. The palate is very well-balanced with a plush opening. Yellow plum commingles with blood orange, white pepper and a dab of lemongrass, fanning out gloriously towards the finish. It's one of my picks from the Domaine this year.
Drink 2025 - 2042
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (January 2024)
About this WINE
Jean-Claude Bachelet
Jean-Claude Bachelet is considered one of the most conscientious wine producers in St Aubin. The wines are exceptionally well balanced, with understated character and good medium-term ageing potential.
Benoît and Jean-Baptiste Bachelet now head up the estate, having taken over from their father Jean-Claude (who died in 2020). Jean-Claude previously sold much of the estate’s crop to négociants, but nowadays they bottle almost all their wines.
Benoît and Jean-Baptiste have now moved to superb new cellars in the hamlet of Gamay, next to St Aubin.
In the vineyard
The brothers have been experimenting with biodynamic viticulture in the vineyard and have plans to extend this across their holdings in St Aubin, Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet.
In the winery
The basic principle of a long, slow barrel-ageing for almost two years remains in force, while the state-of-the-art winery has improved consistency.
Saint Aubin
Though tucked away in a side valley behind the two ‘Montrachet’ villages, Saint-Aubin is a great source of fine, steely white Burgundy and some attractively fruity reds. Production used to be about 50:50 between the two colours, but the whites have become the more sought-after and now represent two-thirds of the crop. There is a significant difference however between the best Premiers Crus – such as En Remilly – and the vineyards tucked away further up the valley.
- 80 hectares of village Saint-Aubin
- 156 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards (15 in all). The finest include En Remilly, Murgers des Dents de Chien, La Chatenière, Les Frionnes
- Recommended producer: Hubert Lamy
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
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Description
The 2022 Saint-Aubin Le Charmois 1er Cru is slightly more reductive than the preceding Champlots, with yellow plum, jasmine and broom scents. This is well-defined, the oak neatly embroidered into the aromatics. The palate is very well-balanced with a plush opening. Yellow plum commingles with blood orange, white pepper and a dab of lemongrass, fanning out gloriously towards the finish. It's one of my picks from the Domaine this year.
Drink 2025 - 2042
Neal Martin, Vinous.com (January 2024)
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