Maranges Vieilles Vignes 2024 Domaine Bachey-Legros

The Maranges Vieilles Vignes 2024 from Domaine Bachey-Legros is the most accessible and generous cuvée from this family domaine in Burgundy's southernmost Côte de Beaune appellation, where the Bacheys have cultivated their vineyards for generations with the same conviction they bring to their finest parcels. This Pinot Noir offers immediate pleasure and real character, yet the old vines' age and health lend a concentration and depth that far exceed its modest rank.

Terroir and vines

Domaine Bachey-Legros's Maranges vineyard sits on parcels planted mostly before 1950, a longevity that anchors the domaine's philosophy: letting vines live, produce, and die naturally, in absolute respect for the vine's biological rhythms. Maranges, the southernmost appellation of the Côte de Beaune, rests on argilo-calcareous hillside soils with south and south-east exposure, where composition and drainage encourage steady ripening and natural Pinot Noir concentration. The old vines' naturally regulated, very low yields produce grapes with small, tight berries, often millerandé, of incomparable richness in sugars and polyphenols. Vinification is gentle and precise, true to the domaine's philosophy: complete destemming, around 17 days of cuvaison with minimal intervention to preserve fruit purity and tannin finesse, soft extraction through a few pumpings to maintain the natural elegance of the variety. Ageing in oak, 20 to 30% new wood depending on the vintage, for 12 to 15 months, followed by time in vat before bottling.

Tasting profile

The robe is a brilliant ruby with violet reflections, with fine density inherited from the old vines' natural concentration. The nose is expressive and spontaneous, showing fresh, well-defined red fruit aromas, raspberry, cherry, redcurrant, with a slight hint of mint and soft spices, the aromatic signature of Maranges. Fine, well-balanced oak adds complexity and depth. On the palate, the wine is fleshy and well-structured, with concentrated fruit and fine, well-integrated tannins from gentle, respectful extraction. Natural acidity brings tension and drinkability, and the finish is long, fruity and lightly spiced, with agreeable persistence that confirms the quality of these old vines on Maranges terroir. Wine of both immediate and serious pleasure, approachable now and capable of ageing nicely over five to eight years.

The domaine

Domaine Bachey-Legros is one of the most authentic and principled addresses in southern Côte de Beaune, founded in the 19th century by François Bachey and transmitted unbroken across six generations. Today Samuel and Lénaïc Legros, with their mother Christiane, continue this ancestral philosophy with passion and modernity across 19 hectares, 80% planted before 1950. Tim Atkin MW has ranked the domaine among the Top 10 Burgundian producers to watch. Vinifications are gentle and precise, ageing in oak with a moderate proportion of new wood, always maintaining balance, energy and finesse in each cuvée.

Food pairings

This Maranges Vieilles Vignes pairs beautifully with roasted poultry with herbs, rabbit in a mushroom ragout, lamb with soft spices, fine country terrine, or soft-paste cheeses such as young Époisses or Brillat-Savarin. Served between 14 and 16°C, slightly cool, it reveals all the generous fruit and sincerity of a Maranges from old vines signed by one of the most principled and engaging families of southern Côte de Beaune.