Burgundy 2023 En Primeur: Domaine Bachey-Legros
We are very pleased to offer the excellent 2023 vintage wines from Domaine Bachey-Legros in Santenay, one of the best value producers we know of in Burgundy. Their affordable, 'everyday' village-level burgundies like the Santenay Rouge Clos des Hâtes and the Maranges Blanc can be on your table at or under £25 per bottle, with all taxes, whilst the premiers crus Santenays and Chassagne-Montrachets come from an amazing collection of very old vines, some of them over a century old.
It's been a very good year for brothers Sam and Lénaïc Legros, with an excellent harvest in size and quality, producing wines that display their terroirs beautifully.
With such a collection of superb vineyard sites, it's amazing that the wines are so relatively inexpensive. The vineyards of Santenay border the more famous Chassagne-Montrachet. 'Undiscovered' domaines in the Côtes d'Or are rare these days. Bachey-Legros was almost moribund in the 1990s, with most of the vines rented out to other producers. That was until Sam and Lénaïc's mother Christiane inherited it and set about reinvigorating the estate with the help of her sons.
The domaine is made up of a collection of ancient, slightly tumble-down Burgundian stone buildings with their traditional tiled roofs and 'lucarnes' windows. The laconic setting contrasts with the energy with which the brothers and their young team rush about, whenever we visit. Sam and Lénaïc are very aware of the historic nature of vineyards like their premiers crus 'Clos Rousseau' and its sub-site 'Les Fourneaux', describing themselves as their curators.
If that sounds a bit academic, the wines themselves are very much made for real-world enjoyment, with masses of succulent, dark fruit in the reds and plenty of richness in the whites. The use of judicious use of just a tad more new oak at the domaine than some of their more peers adds to this richness and exuberance in the wines.
If you are new to Bachey-Legros, or to buying Burgundy en primeur in general, we suggest trying a mix of the Santenay Rouge Clos des Hâtes and the Maranges Blanc for regular drinking, plus a couple of premiers crus, like the stunning 'Clos des Gravieres Blanc' and the complex, layered Clos Rousseau.
For regular buyers from the domaine, this is a year to add a wider range of the premiers crus to your cellars. The distinction between the terroirs is wonderful. Santenay has two main soil types. The vines bordering Chassagne are on deeper soils with high iron-oxide content, giving richer wines with aromas of iron and blood, one of the aromas leading to the description of some red burgundies as being 'gamey' (Sam reminded us of the connection between iron and haemoglobin!). The vines to the south of Santenay have more limestone and are at a higher elevation, hence they tend to be more linear and mineral.
Please simply email us to place your order.
Offered en primeur. Expected in the UK in spring 2025.
Producer Profile
Domaine Bachey-Legros, Santenay
Amongst the blue-chip domaines of the principal Côte d'Or villages, Bachey-Legros is an outlier, both geographically and for the charming, slightly buccaneering energy of brothers Samuel and Lénaïc Legros. Neighbouring Chassagne-Montrachet and at the southern end of the limestone ridge which forms the Côte de Beaune, Santenay is a gem of a town, with an "off the beaten track" air to it. The slopes behind the village are beautifully situated, with numerous fine terroirs. Very helpfully, these fall into distinct sub-zones, with more oolitic limestone in the soils neighbouring Chassagne giving more powerful wines, versus more limestone-marl soils to the south, giving more finesse.
The Legros brothers have 18 hectares here, inherited from their grandfather who, by 1993 had almost ceased wine production, contracting out many of his vines to other growers. It was Sam and Lénaïc's mother, Christiane, then living and working as a psychologist in Dijon, who returned to the family domaine to begin re-building it, gradually taking back control of vineyards as those leasing contracts expired (maybe this is why it feels as if this domaine has come from nowhere and remains relatively undiscovered). Today, it still has the air of a work in progress, with the unrestored stone buildings pressed into service at what is clearly a growing business.
The Clos Rousseau, on the upper slopes to the South of Santenay
In contrast to the sleepy air at most of the domaines we visited, Bachey-Legros was a hive of activity, with a lorry delivering a huge quantity of frost candles for the winter ahead (quite an investment, at 8 Euros each, with 300-400 needed per night, per hectare). There was also a mobile bottling line in full swing, with bottles being packed by a young team in another outbuilding. Sam and Lénaïc themselves project a laid-back energy and are instantly likeable. The other thing which stands out here is the volume of wine in tank and in barrel (compared to the many bare-looking cellars we visited). We have said several times over the last couple of years what amazing value this domaine's wines are. Seeing it in person really helps to understand how they achieve this, with a combination of outstanding raw materials (their holdings of ancient vine are second to none) and an unstuffy, no-frills approach.
Old vines play an important role in their success and you will see the vineyard planting dates proudly listed next to many of their wines, from 1950 for 'Les Charmes' back to 1914 for 1er Cru Clos Rousseau 'Les Fourneaux'. Caring for these old vines is clearly a labour of love and they describe themselves as working like 'curators in a botanical museum'! Deep-rooting older vines are very resilient to annual vintage variations, giving consistently brilliant wines each year.
| WHITE | 2023 | Bachey-Legros - Bourgogne Blanc St Martin | 75cl | £175 per case of 12 | Bachey-Legros Bourgogne Blanc St Martin 2023 / / 75cl £175 per case of 12 |
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Tasting NotesLovely freshness, zippy acidity, citrus lemon, balancing the 15% new oak, more freshness than in recent vintages. Sam says the warm weather at harvest made it a challenge to keep the white grapes fresh, requiring a fast picking. The pH is similar to '22 but it is more noticeable on the palate, with a higher proportion of tartaric acid retained in the finished wine (whereas malic acid is lost during the malolactic). This has a great balance of richness, subtle oak influence and freshness. RKL |
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| WHITE | 2023 | Bachey-Legros - Chassagne-Montrachet 'Morgeot' Les Petits Clos Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru | 75cl | £280 per case of 6 | Bachey-Legros Chassagne-Montrachet 'Morgeot' Les Petits Clos Vieilles Vignes 1er Cru 2023 / / 75cl £280 per case of 6 |
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Tasting NotesWe did not taste the 1er Cru Les Morgeots this year (running out of time to get to our next appointment in Meursault) but based on tasting the 2023 village Chassagne, plus previous experience of tasting Les Morgeots, this should be superb this year. Sam says this plot is on deep clay and limestone soils, giving power and depth. RKL |
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| WHITE | 2023 | Bachey-Legros - Maranges Blanc | 75cl | £195 per case of 12 | Bachey-Legros Maranges Blanc 2023 / / 75cl £195 per case of 12 |
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Tasting NotesMaranges is the most southern of the Côtes de Beaune villages and is still less well-known by UK burgundy drinkers, which means it is a great source of excellent-value wines. This has a lovely fresh nose, with the 20% new oak just adding a touch of weighty richness, but it's still fresh. Then there is some lovely reductive struck-match and flinty mineral character on the palate, with ripe citrus fruits. V. good. RKL |
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| WHITE | 2023 | Bachey-Legros - Santenay Blanc Clos Les Gravières 1er cru | 75cl | £295 per case of 12 | Bachey-Legros Santenay Blanc Clos Les Gravières 1er cru 2023 / / 75cl £295 per case of 12 |
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Tasting NotesFrom younger vines in the northern part of Santenay, at a lower elevation, hence riper in style than Sous La Roche. This is mostly a young vine cuvée but from complex soils. Intense but delicate, understated, fine-boned, unfolding on the palate with a salty character, iodine minerality, and a pithy texture. Grilled nuts and lemons and a really long finish. A complex premier cru to compete with many whites from Meursaults and Chassagnes. Lovely. RKL |
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| WHITE | 2023 | Bachey-Legros - Santenay Blanc Sous La Roche | 75cl | £240 per case of 12 | Bachey-Legros Santenay Blanc Sous La Roche 2023 / / 75cl £240 per case of 12 |
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Tasting NotesThe 'Sous La Roche' lieu-dit is a small vineyard, less than half a hectare, quite high up on the slopes above the village of Santenay. The grapes are passed through a gentle pneumatic press at low pressure soon after harvesting. Alcoholic fermentation takes place at very low temperatures, in barrel, with particular emphasis on lees management, which contributes roundness and complexity of aroma. The wine spends 12 to 15 months in cask, 20% new, with regular bâtonnage until malolactic starts. The 2023 has elegant white flowers and crystalline fruit on the nose, really fresh and fine, some reductive matchstick aromas, flinty minerality on the palate, and a quite grippy, assertive core of fruit, with concentrated lemon flavours and a squeeze of lemony acidity and saltiness on the finish. RKL |
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| RED | 2023 | Bachey-Legros - Santenay Rouge 'Clos des Hâtes' Vieilles Vignes | 75cl | £220 per case of 12 | Bachey-Legros Santenay Rouge 'Clos des Hâtes' Vieilles Vignes 2023 / / 75cl £220 per case of 12 |
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Tasting NotesFrom vines planted in 1935. A great all-round village-level red burgundy with some good weight to it. South exposure, deep soils with chalk. Adjacent to the town of Santenay itself and surrounded by premier cru vineyards! Ink-dark in the glass, lovely dark fruit, blackcurrant and minty freshness, then cherry, blackcurrant and dark plum fruit on the palate, spicy finish. Clos des Hâtes has always been a sweet spot in the range, but this year shows just how good it is. RKL |
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| RED | 2023 | Bachey-Legros - Santenay Rouge 'Clos Rousseau Les Fourneaux' Vieilles Vignes 1er cru | 75cl | £320 per case of 12 | Bachey-Legros Santenay Rouge 'Clos Rousseau Les Fourneaux' Vieilles Vignes 1er cru 2023 / / 75cl £320 per case of 12 |
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Tasting Notes"Les Fourneaux" is a lieu-dit within the Clos Rousseau Premier Cru, one of the Santenay's best sites. Most of the vineyard was planted in 1914! Immediate, expressive, with intense dark cherry, then sparkling energy on palate, the tannins providing wonderful energy and length. The finish is truly impressive. RKL |
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| RED | 2023 | Bachey-Legros - Santenay Rouge Clos Rousseau Vieilles Vignes 1er cru | 75cl | £295 per case of 12 | Bachey-Legros Santenay Rouge Clos Rousseau Vieilles Vignes 1er cru 2023 / / 75cl £295 per case of 12 |
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Tasting NotesThe Clos Rousseau premier cru is the most prized location in Santenay, to the south, close to Maranges, on complex marl and limestone soils. Dark, powerful and intense, deep dark fruit, black cherry, earth, then super fine dark cherry palate, supple tannins, more fruit with deliclious concentration, exceptional length and minerality. A beautiful and very complete wine. RKL |
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| RED | 2023 | Bachey-Legros - Santenay Rouge 'La Comme' Vieilles Vignes 1er cru | 75cl | £295 per case of 12 | Bachey-Legros Santenay Rouge 'La Comme' Vieilles Vignes 1er cru 2023 / / 75cl £295 per case of 12 |
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Tasting NotesLa Comme is right on the border with Chassagne-Montrachet. Some graphite or iron aromas, with more dark cherry, inky, violet, more taut and drying on palate than Clos Rousseau, giving elegance. Smoky, gamey fruit. Excellent. RKL |
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| RED | 2023 | Bachey-Legros - Santenay Rouge 'Les Champs Claudes' Vieilles Vignes | 75cl | £220 per case of 12 | Bachey-Legros Santenay Rouge 'Les Champs Claudes' Vieilles Vignes 2023 / / 75cl £220 per case of 12 |
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Tasting NotesThe Champs Claude lieu-dit is on the Chassagne side of Santenay, with more deep, red oxide soils. Grippier than Les Charmes, a 'bloody wine' says Sam, as we taste! The aromas of rust or iron or blood are very distinct. Very dry palate with powerful tannins, this will develop beautifully with 2-4 years in bottle. RKL |
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| RED | 2023 | Bachey-Legros - Santenay Rouge 'Les Charmes' Vieilles Vignes | 75cl | £220 per case of 12 | Bachey-Legros Santenay Rouge 'Les Charmes' Vieilles Vignes 2023 / / 75cl £220 per case of 12 |
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Tasting NotesThis is also on the southern (Maranges) end of Santenay. Fine aromas of strawberry fruits, earth and wood smoke, but still with lovely weight on the palate, chewy tannins, richness, some chocolate, kirsch flavours. Very much in the style of the domaine, black fruit, but balanced. Some saline and cacao notes on the finish. RKL |
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