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Domaine Bouard-Bonnefoy, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru, “Le Charmois”

Burgundy, France 2018 (750mL)
$68.00
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Domaine Bouard-Bonnefoy, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru, “Le Charmois”

 will never tire of “working the fringes” in Burgundy; it’s what I live for. And my obsession is rewarded by exceptional wines like today’s opulent Saint-Aubin from Bouard-Bonnefoy.
Let’s start with its Premier Cru vineyard source, “Le Charmois,” which is nominally in the village of Saint-Aubin but hugs the border with Chassagne-Montrachet: This ultra-prime parcel is mere moments from the Montrachet Grand Crus, and yes it does show in the wine. Then there’s its maker, the meticulous garagiste Fabrice Bouard, whose entire production is housed in a barrel room the size of a two-car garage (and happens to be adjacent to…a two-car garage!). I’d equate the feeling of being in Bouard’s cellar to having dinner at a great chef’s house rather than a restaurant; each wine feels so personal, so hand-crafted, that you find yourself wondering for a moment whether he’s actually going to let you buy any. In the case of his “Charmois” bottling, as with most of the single-vineyard wines he makes, there isn’t much to buy in the first place, because there’s precious little made—which only makes its gentle pricing even more glaring. Today’s ’18 is the total white Burgundy package—a Premier Cru with Grand Cru ambitions despite its village-level price. This is what we’ve come to expect from this jewel-box domaine, and if you consider yourself a Burgundy insider, this is one of the greatest “gets” of the year—take up to six bottles today and run!
Fabrice Bouard is an ex-officer in the French equivalent of the Secret Service who launched a second career in wine with the help of his wife, Carine Bonnefoy, whose family has long farmed vineyards in Chassagne-Montrachet and beyond. The Bouard-Bonnefoy domaine is a tiny one, with about 8 hectares of vines concentrated in Chassagne-Montrachet. Carine is descended from a long line of vignerons in Chassagne, one of whom is her father, who still offers invaluable assistance in the vineyards and cellar. Fabrice, Carine, and Bonnefoy père are effectively gardeners at this scale, farming according to lutte raisonnée (‘reasoned struggle’) principles. Chemical herbicides and pesticides are avoided at all costs, only indigenous yeasts are used in fermentations, and grapes are always harvested by hand. The couple still use an antique, hand-cranked wooden press and overwhelmingly favor used barrels for fermentation and aging. They even bottle their wines by hand.

The Charmois Premier Cru is on the “Chassagne side” of Saint-Aubin, with a south-southeast aspect and a reportedly higher percentage of clay in the soils. Its wines tend to skew a little richer, although there’s some altitude (and corresponding cooling breezes) that help mitigate that and maintain freshness. Sourced from impeccably maintained vines ranging from 30-60 years of age, the 2018 Le Charmois Premier Cru was barrel-fermented with only indigenous yeasts and aged in barrels (20% new) for one year. In the glass, it’s a deep yellow-gold with a slight hint of green at the rim, with expressive aromas of yellow apple, pear, acacia honey, salted lemon, white mushroom, a hint of fresh cream, and crushed white rocks. It is medium-plus in body, with a lush texture and well-integrated acidity. It’s quite delicious now, and should be magical with 3-5 years further aging, though I wouldn’t necessarily characterize it as a “20-year” wine. I’ll be re-visiting my stash periodically over the next 5-7 years, and I’m confident it’s going to keep getting better. Decant this bold white about 30 minutes before serving at 50 degrees in Burgundy stems. Pair it with a rich, white-fleshed fish like cod or halibut, maybe something with an enriching crust as in the attached recipe. You don’t have to be wealthy to eat and drink like a king—just persistent! Cheers!
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Country
France
Region
Burgundy
Sub-Region
FranceSaint-Aubin 1er Cru, “Le Charmois”
Soil
Limestone & Clay
Farming
Sustainable
Blend
Chardonnay 100%
Alcohol
13.5
OAK
20% New French
TEMP.
50-55
Glassware
Burgundy Stems
Drinking
Now-2028
Decanting
30 Minutes
Pairing
Parmesan/Panko-Crusted Halibut

France

Bourgogne

Beaujolais

Enjoying the greatest wines of Beaujolais starts, as it usually does, with the lay of the land. In Beaujolais, 10 localities have been given their own AOC (Appellation of Controlled Origin) designation. They are: Saint Amour; Juliénas; Chénas; Moulin-à Vent; Fleurie; Chiroubles; Morgon; Régnié; Côte de Brouilly; and Brouilly.

Southwestern France

Bordeaux

Bordeaux surrounds two rivers, the Dordogne and Garonne, which intersect north of the city of Bordeaux to form the Gironde Estuary, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean. The region is at the 45th parallel (California’s Napa Valley is at the38th), with a mild, Atlantic-influenced climate enabling the maturation of late-ripening varieties.

Central France

Loire Valley

The Loire is France’s longest river (634 miles), originating in the southerly Cévennes Mountains, flowing north towards Paris, then curving westward and emptying into the Atlantic Ocean near Nantes. The Loire and its tributaries cover a huge swath of central France, with most of the wine appellations on an east-west stretch at47 degrees north (the same latitude as Burgundy).

Northeastern France

Alsace

Alsace, in Northeastern France, is one of the most geologically diverse wine regions in the world, with vineyards running from the foothills of theVosges Mountains down to the Rhine River Valley below.

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