Maranges 1er Cru "La Fussière" 2016, Bachelet-Monnot

Maranges is probably the least well known vineyard in the Côte d'Or as it was only defined as an appellation d'orgine contrôlée in 1988. Thus far I'm afraid I haven't found the sort of quality that other lesser villages such as Saint-Romain and Santenay have to offer. This Maranges 1er Cru from the challenging 2016 vintage is further evidence of the lack of full ripeness of the chardonnay grapes. A citrus nose, dominated by lemon, errs on the side of flint with dustings of white oak. White and green fruits, this Maranges 2016 is lean and has tension on the palate. Lacking in fruit body. Will be fine with a crottin de chavignol but is probably not what people expect from a white Burgundy reflecting the just ripe 2016 vintage. Scores 60-63/100. This Maranges is £510 per case of 12 bottles in bond which is £28.10 per bottle retail. At that price it is very hard to recommend buying this wine. In fact, it is impossible.