THE Perfectionist
2009 Bachelet Côte de Nuits Villages
"[Bachelet's] are clearly amongst the best wines made in the 2009 vintage... the rewards down the road are going to be glorious." -John Gilman
This is a tough offer to write: Bachelet's wines are some of my absolute favorites, and as such the number of offers I've penned on his wines have probably hit double digits.
It's a curious position to be in.
On the one hand we have a producer who has put together one of the top collections of the vintage. On the other hand, this is a TINY estate. Denis Bachelet is essentially a one-man show, a perfectionist who turns out miniscule amounts of wine from a cellar the size of a studio apartment.
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There is simply never enough wine to satisfy demand.
So, Bachelet fans (and Burg fans) pay attention because today we have a small parcel of Bachelet's 2009 Côte de Nuits Villages. This bottle is a great example of how Bachelet radically overperforms in this humble category.
In a year with no shortage of impressive wines, Bachelet's 2009 Cotes du Nuits speaks volumes about the level of depth, balance and nuance that led Gilman to focus on the estate as one of the best of the vintage.
The 09 Côte de Nuits is sourced from 30-year-old vines planted in Brochon, the town just north of Gevrey. This is an insider village - a place that produces serious fruit. Gilman writes,it "really makes one wonder why Brochon continues to not have its own appellation?"
The 09 Côte de Nuits boasts lots of muscular Gevrey character complete with notes of top soil. The wine tends to be forward and a touch more rustic than those of Gevrey, but this lends an extra dimension of character to the wine that adds fascination.
As the holidays appear on the horizon and meals turn to roasted turkey, hearty beef stews and Coq Au Vin, the Côte de Nuits Villages is an ideal companion. That's if you're the impatient type. Otherwise, feel free to hold on to these for another 7 to 10 years.
By now, you know the deal on Denis Bachelet: Old vines, low yields and never, NEVER enough wine!
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare
Crush Wine & Spirits
John Gilman: "Tasting a wine such as Denis Bachelet’s Côte de Nuits Villages really makes one wonder why Brochon continues to not have its own appellation? In any case, the 2009 Côte de Nuits Villages from Monsieur Bachelet is really superb, with the inherent elegance of the vintage very much in evidence here on both the nose and palate. The bouquet is a lovely mélange of cassis, grilled meats, espresso, Gevrey-like black minerality and a smoky topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and very long, with suave tannins, lovely focus and excellent length and grip on the finish. Classy juice."