More / Wine of the Week / Week of October 29, 2018
Domaine André Bonhomme
Viré-Clessé Les Pierres Blanches 2016
Even those of us who prefer to stick to red wine at this time of year will usually accept a glass of white Burgundy with our meal. And as usual, in our always growing Burgundy book we've continually sought out great value wines. In that vein, the Mâconnais fits right in with our philosophy--the geography and soils of this area, originally planted by the Romans, is similar to that of the Côte d’Or. These soils are uniquely suited for Chardonnay production, and over the years the region has indeed become known for lower-priced yet elegant white Burgundies
Viré-Clessé Les Pierres Blanches 2016
Even those of us who prefer to stick to red wine at this time of year will usually accept a glass of white Burgundy with our meal. And as usual, in our always growing Burgundy book we've continually sought out great value wines. In that vein, the Mâconnais fits right in with our philosophy--the geography and soils of this area, originally planted by the Romans, is similar to that of the Côte d’Or. These soils are uniquely suited for Chardonnay production, and over the years the region has indeed become known for lower-priced yet elegant white Burgundies
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Domaine André Bonhomme is a benchmark producer of the region. This humble domaine was founded in 1956 by André Bonhomme. Back then, André's father Joseph owned 4 hectares of vines that were sold under the Mâcon-Viré appellation. Through careful vine growing and vinification, André received enormous respect from his colleagues. He was not only the co-founder of the Independent Winemakers of the Saône-et-Loire; he also was one of the principal initiators of the new, higher quality Viré-Clessé appellation in the 1990's. André has since passed the torch to his daughter Jacqueline and her husband Eric Palthey. They were later joined by their son Aurélien who acquired an oenology degree in 2007 and his brother Johan who subsequently completed his wine studies.
The domaine presently covers 11 hectares located on the clay and limestone soils of both the Viré and Clessé communes. As far as work in the vineyards go, not much has changed since André took over from his father: all vineyard work is organic, and the family attempts to keep even its organic sprays to a minimum so that the plant can defend itself. No chemical weed-killers are used between the vines, and certain strains of hay are planted between the rows (which aerates the soil and brings it valuable nitrogen). Insecticides: taboo! In fact, the family actually encourages certain predators that they feel create a natural balance in the vineyard. Yields are kept low. Grapes are picked by hand, and are delicately pressed with their stems in a balloon press. Parcels are vinified separately using only their indigenous yeasts. The wines are lightly filtered before bottling so that they are clear and brilliant, and minimal sulfur is added. Underneath the winery is a very humid, dark cellar, whose moist walls are stained black with mold. Certain cuvées spend up to 24 months in barrels in these slowly-maturing conditions.
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The domaine bottles each wine only once per year, and releases its bottlings much later than many other producers in Burgundy. Even after such extended aging, they often wait six months before putting their wines on the market. Time moves slowly at Chez Bonhomme.
And speaking of time moving, we'd like to mention the incredible ageability of these wines. Some might say that wines from the Mâconnais don't age, but during one of our early visits to the domaine, Aurélien opened an unlabeled bottle that showed beautifully with almost no oxidation or lack of fruit. Blind tasting it our guesses were 1989, 1986, 1985 and 1981, but was actually a Mâcon-Viré 1969. So how does the family do it? Aurélien thinks that Viré-Clessé's proximity to the Saône River enables its producers to make wonderful sweet wines. Perhaps this particular microclimate even gives the dry wines a wonderful exoticism and age-worthiness. These are white wines that taste great on release, but have what it takes to endure. So don't be afraid to hang on to some bottles; you will be rewarded for your patience. The Domaine André Bonhomme Viré-Clessé Les Pierres-Blanches 2015 comes from 2 hectares of 6 to 30 year-old parcels planted on clay and limestone, with a high quantity of small stones throughout the vineyards. It is higher than most of their other vineyards at 340 meters. Yields are 50 hl/ha. The wine is fermented and aged in stainless-steel for 18 months, and only 12,000 bottles are made. The resulting wine is gorgeous--fresh and fruity, with notes of pineapple and honey. It is a great accompaniment to seafood or on its own as an aperitif. |
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