Domaine André Bonhomme Crémant de Bourgogne Blanc 2020

$38.00

Location: France, Burgundy

Winemaker: Jacqueline & Eric Palthey

Grapes: Chardonnay

André Bonhomme founded his estate in 1956, when he took over his father’s original 4 hectares of vines in what was then known as Mâcon-Viré. He immediately stopped selling fruit to the local co-ops (much to his father’s chagrin and his neighbors’ confusion) and began converting to organic viticulture. André was one of the first in the Mâconnais—back then considered the workhorse of Burgundian appellations—to estate-bottle his wines, choosing unique vineyard sites with highest-quality fruit and terroir. This allowed him to assemble, over time and with painstaking work, a total of 11 hectares, all without insecticides or chemical treatments. In addition, André was the co-founder of the Independent Winemakers of the Saône-et-Loire (part of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté) as well as one of the founders of the Viré-Clessé appellation in the 1990s, which his wines are now classified under.

Today the estate is overseen by his daughter and son-in-law Jacqueline and Eric, with their son Aurélien as lead winemaker. He’s continued to focus on the health of the vines, the most important to the estate. Hay is planted in between the vineyard rows to encourage natural aeration of the soil, yields are kept low and each parcel is vinified separately to showcase differentiation in terroir. Most of the estate is dedicated to Chardonnay, though a small amount of Gamay is planted as well. The signature of this domaine is patience; Aurélien, in keeping with his grandfather, picks his fruit at specifically low pH levels to ensure the finished wine is built for longevity. This is one of the few estates in the Mâconnais that releases bottles far later than their neighbors, and each cuvée is only released once per year. The Crémant de Bourgogne is made from 70-year-old Chardonnay, aged on slats before crushed, riddled and disgorged by hand and bottled with minimal dosage. Only a thousand bottles are produced a year. Gossamer layers of puff pastry, golden apple, toasted hazelnut, pear blossom abound. Will only grow deeper and earthier in the next five years.

Location: France, Burgundy

Winemaker: Jacqueline & Eric Palthey

Grapes: Chardonnay

André Bonhomme founded his estate in 1956, when he took over his father’s original 4 hectares of vines in what was then known as Mâcon-Viré. He immediately stopped selling fruit to the local co-ops (much to his father’s chagrin and his neighbors’ confusion) and began converting to organic viticulture. André was one of the first in the Mâconnais—back then considered the workhorse of Burgundian appellations—to estate-bottle his wines, choosing unique vineyard sites with highest-quality fruit and terroir. This allowed him to assemble, over time and with painstaking work, a total of 11 hectares, all without insecticides or chemical treatments. In addition, André was the co-founder of the Independent Winemakers of the Saône-et-Loire (part of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté) as well as one of the founders of the Viré-Clessé appellation in the 1990s, which his wines are now classified under.

Today the estate is overseen by his daughter and son-in-law Jacqueline and Eric, with their son Aurélien as lead winemaker. He’s continued to focus on the health of the vines, the most important to the estate. Hay is planted in between the vineyard rows to encourage natural aeration of the soil, yields are kept low and each parcel is vinified separately to showcase differentiation in terroir. Most of the estate is dedicated to Chardonnay, though a small amount of Gamay is planted as well. The signature of this domaine is patience; Aurélien, in keeping with his grandfather, picks his fruit at specifically low pH levels to ensure the finished wine is built for longevity. This is one of the few estates in the Mâconnais that releases bottles far later than their neighbors, and each cuvée is only released once per year. The Crémant de Bourgogne is made from 70-year-old Chardonnay, aged on slats before crushed, riddled and disgorged by hand and bottled with minimal dosage. Only a thousand bottles are produced a year. Gossamer layers of puff pastry, golden apple, toasted hazelnut, pear blossom abound. Will only grow deeper and earthier in the next five years.