Bonnet-Cotton ‘Poncie’ Fleurie Rouge 2020
Location: France, Beaujolais, Fleurie
Winemaker: Pierre Cotton and Marine Bonnet
Grapes: Gamay
Soil: granite
Winemaking: Vinified with native yeasts, carbonic maceration whole bunches, without SO2 in concrete tanks, then age (8months) underground in century-old foudres that were originally built for holding beer, then were repurposed in the 1950s and 1960s. Unfined and Unfiltered.
From us at M&L: Originally part of the new vanguard of natural Beaujolais in the last decade, Pierre Cotton is now joined by his partner, Marine Bonnet. The couple’s strengths are uniquely well suited to their common endeavor: Pierre has been bringing life back to his family plots in and around Brouilly with his tinkerer’s spirit and skill, and Marine brings her agronomist’s ingenuity to the vineyards by reimagining them as polycultural ecologies rather than simple vineyards.
Together they are producing beautiful wines of exceptional transparency to each terroir. Vinified essentially the same, each cuveé from each cru designation feel a part of a gallery while maintaining individual quirks that speak to their respective place.
We are absolutely enthralled by the team’s first step outside of Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly into Fleurie where the namesake floral qualities of that cru are certainly apparent, as are myriad herbal subtleties that speak to a sense of vitality and good health (think echinacea or other apothecary tinctures).
A deep and splendid wine that will make most any simple meal feel festive and could just as easily be opened for fireside snuggles.
From the Importer Paris Wine Co: Pierre Cotton's family has been farming and producing wine at the same cellar in Odenas since 1856. Legend has it that the large chai, with its cavernous cellars, was built in the 18th century to make the wines for the nearby Château de Pierreux, and that over the years, it has housed a rotating group of producers.
Today, Pierre and his partner Marine are the sole producers to make wine here. After working for a short stint as a motorcycle mechanic, Pierre spent two years in the Loire Valley before returning to the domaine. In 2014, he reclaimed 1 hectare of Côte de Brouilly for his first cuvée - 100% Cotton. Over the next few years, he reclaimed another 2 hectares around Brouilly from the family holdings, purchased 1 hectare in Fleurie, 1 hectare of Regnié, and 1 hectare of Beaujolais, sas well as planted a small patch of Beaujolais Blanc on a unique vein of limestone near the domaine.
Inspired by tasting wines with compatriot friends Yann Bertrand, Jules Metras, and Keke Descombes, Pierre’s wines are all farmed organically and made without any sulfur. Vinification is semi-carbonic in large cement tanks, and then the wines are aged for 8-9 months in old foudres that range in size from 14 to 42 hectoliters.
In 2020, Pierre's partner Marine Bonnet officially joined the domaine. Marine has a background as an agronomist specialized in viticulture, and Pierre and Marine now manage both the vineyards and winemaking together.