Domaine Denis Bachelet
Overview
Small Gevrey domaine making very highly regarded wines from old vines in Charmes-Chambertin and various premier crus. A Gilman favorite for decades.
Appellations
Key Wines
- Gevrey-Chambertin “Charmes-Chambertin” (grand cru) — made from very old vines; a Gilman favorite for decades; 94–96 pts in top vintages
- Gevrey-Chambertin premier crus — Corbeaux and others
- Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes (village) — old-vine cuvée of exceptional depth
Style Notes
Denis Bachelet is a tiny, highly regarded Gevrey domaine focused on quality over quantity. The wines are notable for their old-vine concentration in the Charmes-Chambertin and their classically elegant village and premier cru bottlings. Not widely allocated; Gilman has followed and championed this domaine for decades.
2023 Vintage Notes (VFTC #115)
Visited January 24, 2025. Denis Bachelet volunteered unprompted that “2023 may well be the greatest vintage of my career!” Harvest began September 9th under extreme heat — the family had to drag out a mattress to sleep near the cellar doors to monitor cooling during the cold soak. “The harvest of 2023 was really a war for that first week, but it was well worth it.” All reds between 12.8–13.5% alcohol. Wines still in cask, scheduled for spring bottling.
2023 Scores:
- Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes: 97 pts (2040–2100) — “one of the finest young red wines I tasted on my entire trip”; “pure magic once it is ready to drink”
- Les Corbeaux V.V.: 94 pts (2038–2080+) — “stunning bouquet”; power masked behind utterly refined, elegant profile
- Les Evocelles Vieilles Vignes: 92+ pts (2036–2075) — inherent elegance; first bottled separately in 2023 due to generous yields
- Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes: 92 pts (2037–2075) — vines approaching 90 years; “great juice in the making”
- Cote de Nuits Villages: 91 pts (2033–2065) — last vintage under CDN-V label; moves to Fixin from 2024
- Bourgogne Rouge: 89 pts (2029–2040+) — stellar for its level
2024 Vintage Notes (Burghound #101, barrel)
Bachelet described 2024 as yielding “the smallest yields of my career, which extends well back to the 1980s!” Flowering required 3 weeks to finish (vs. only 2 days in 2025). Picked September 14th; yields off 65-80%. Potential alcohols around 12.5%. Meadows notes: “Bachelet is, and has been, one of the great talents in Gevrey and the quality of his 2024s will only add to this much deserved reputation.” Due to tiny quantities, the old vines Gevrey cuvée includes Evocelles.
2024 Scores (barrel):
- Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes: (92-94) — “This beauty could easily be enjoyed after only 5 to 7 years”; from .44 ha of 90+ year old vines
- Gevrey-Chambertin “Les Corbeaux” 1er: (90-93) — “positively gorgeous mouthfeel”; “Bachelet Corbeaux has an established history of aging beautifully”
- Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes: (89-92) — includes Evocelles in 2024; vines 60-70 years; “excellent for its level”
- Fixin: (89-91) — new designation (formerly CDN-V); “a wine that could be enjoyed young or with 5 to 8 years of cellaring”
- Bourgogne Pinot Noir: (87-89) — “unusually complex and persistent in the context of the appellation. Excellent.”
Note: Meadows’ barrel scores for 2024 Charmes (92-94) are somewhat below Gilman’s 2023 Charmes score of 97 pts, but these are different vintages and 2024 was a far more challenging year. The Charmes remains the standout wine.
My Tastings
(none yet)
Sources
sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC Jan-Feb 2025 #115.txtsources/articles/VFTC/VFTC Jan-Feb 2026 #121.pdfsources/articles/Burghound/Burghound Issue 101 - 2024 and 2023 Cote de Nuits Reds.txt