The 2020 regional Chardonnay from Vincent Bachelet, Vigneron Indépendant in Chassagne-Montrachet, sold out in just 4 months this year, helped along by limited availability and widespread fears of further frosts in Burgundy.
Vincent Bachelet: fewer regional wines in 2020, more Village and Cru
While Vincent Bachelet's Bourgogne Blanc is now all but gone, the Pinot Noir is down to its last few bottles. But, as is always the case in these situations, there is a reason.
In Burgundy, the 2020 vintage was one of the hottest and earliest in recent years, bringing fruit of extraordinary richness into the cellar, with exceptional potential.
So in 2020, Vincent and his son Etienne decided to focus their efforts on the individual Village wines and the various Premier Cru, with the aim of making the most of the fruit's power and the distinctive terroir character of each plot.
As they vinify only grapes from their own vineyards, this inevitably came at the expense of the volumes of regional Bourgogne.
It should also be said that one of the distinctive features of Vincent Bachelet's estate is that its hectares are highly fragmented across different areas and small parcels, spread over several Villages and Crus. This diversity, which Vincent has deliberately pursued, reflects his attention to expressing the differences of every single parcel.
Working responsibly with one's own terroir also means this.
We're a little sorry, as the regional Chardonnay was delicious... but now it's time to explore the complexity of the Village and Premier Cru wines, and we'll be back to talk about the new wave of 2021 regional wines at the end of the year!
PS. No need to worry if you had an allocation... your wines are safe!
Wine Terroir Srls is the exclusive importer and official Italian distributor of the wines of Vincent Bachelet.
For more information, write to us at info@wineterroir.it
