Domaine Denis Bachelet

Domaine Denis Bachelet is a small Burgundy producer in Gevrey-Chambertin that has created a following around its limited, small-production red wines made from Pinot Noir. The winery was established by Denis Bachelet in 1983, when he took over family plots totalling just under two hectares (five acres). His grandfather had tended the vines until his retirement in 1973, but his father had pursued another career, and the vineyards had suffered from the lack of attention.

Bachelet doubled the estate's vineyard holdings, and acquired a small plot in the grand cru Charmes-Chambertin vineyard, and another plot in the premier cru Les Corbeaux vineyard. Both holdings cover just over 0.4 hectares (one acre) each. Denis Bachelet also makes several Gevrey-Chambertin and Côte de Nuits-Villages wines, as well as a Bourgogne Rouge and a Bourgogne Aligoté. Many of Bachelet's vines are quite old, with some in Charmes-Chambertin being more than a century old. Grapes are entirely destemmed and fermentation uses natural yeasts followed by up to eight days of cold maceration. The wines are then aged in oak, with the length of time and percentage of new oak dependent on the wine.