Based out of Chassagne-Montrachet, Domaine Bouard-Bonnefoy owns five-hectares of incredible parcels across Chassagne-Montrachet, Saint-Aubin and Puligny-Montrachet. Owner and winemaker, Fabrice, and his wife, Carinne, are fifth-generation winemakers for the family estate. After a tour in the military, Fabrice returned to his family estate in 2006 and began crafting and domaine-bottling his wines without the influence of négociants. He has stayed true to tradition in the fields as well as the cellar—their plots are plowed and tended without herbicides and they practice lutte raisonée farming, which is essentially an organic approach unless an emergency arrives. Harvest is strictly conducted by hand with meticulous care. The small, charmingly antiquated cellar feels like you have stepped back in time. Fabrice continues to utilize a hand-cranked wooden press as well as a bottling line where the family bottles, corks and labels each wine by hand. Wines are fermented with only natural yeasts and are aged without the overt influence of new oak. The Domaine produces just over twenty barrels each year, but what they lack in size they more than make up for in incredible quality and attention to detail. Stunning in its youth, this brilliant 2014 Chardonnay will blossom into an even greater beauty by 2020. 

The 2014 Les Charmois displays a light golden straw yellow core with green hues on the rim. The fresh, floral nose reveals classic aromas of white peach, bosc pear, lemon pith and lime blossom laced with white button mushroom, honeycomb, fresh white flowers as well as crushed rocks, a touch of oyster shell and wet limestone. Once this wine opens as it  rises in temperature, the texture is expansive and rich with delineating flavors only the Côte de Beaune can deliver. It is crucial to allow this wine sufficient time to open up. For those of you with patience, this wine will be heavenly down the road and will require less decanting. For instant gratification, decant for 45 minutes and serve in Burgundy stems around 55-60 degrees. For a pairing that will linger in your sense memory for years to come, try this recipe for Poulet au Fromage Boursin – or chicken with Boursin cheese sauce.