The wines of André Bonhomme were a happy discovery during our scouting expedition for affordable burgundy at ProWein this year. The estate was founded by André and wife Gisèle in 1956, making it the first domaine of what is now the Viré-Clessé appellation. Back then they just had four hectares of vines which they’d inherited from André’s father Joseph, who grew grapes for the cooperative in the village of Viré.
The wines have always been bottled at the domaine, which now extends to 12 hectares of vineyards. These have been organically farmed since 2001 and certified from vintage 2014. Aurélien Palthey, the grandson of André Bonhomme, has taken charge of the winemaking since 2008, following formal and practical training in Alsace and Meursault. He’s supported by his mother Jacqueline (daughter of André), father Eric and brother Johan. Their focus is firmly on white wines (99% of production, all of it Chardonnay), built on minerality and firm acidity.
The vines have an average age of 55 years and the fruit is picked by hand. The whole bunches are airbag-pressed before the musts undergo long fermentations with natural yeasts. Both stainless steel and oak barrels are used in the winemaking process, with the duration of élevage also varying according to the specific cuvée. Bâtonnage is usually avoided in order to retain freshness and acidity.
Aurélien justly sees 2014 as a great vintage for the family, with favourable weather yielding wines with ideal balance of ripeness and acidity. We’re really excited to present these wines – it’s good white burgundy at a steal, so how else would we feel?
THE WINES
2015 André Bonhomme Mâcon-Villages Vieilles Vignes RRP $38
The wine is made exclusively in stainless tanks for freshness. The fruit is from vines with an average age of 60 years on clays and limestone.
Seamless and energetic. There’s a combination for you. It’s frisky but svelte with lemongrass, citrus and white peach flavours gently melting into wet slate. There’s a hint of honeysuckle here, almost into lactose but not quite. Really, it’s just a joy to drink; it sits at the wonderful place where freshness shakes hands with charisma. 92+ points. Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front November 2016
(13.8% alcohol; done entirely in stainless steel; bottled at the end of July): Pale yellow. Captivating nose melds lavender, fresh herbs and cut grass with fresh peach and menthol, all lifted by a chalky element. At once rich, ripe and juicy, showing the density of the vintage but with firm lemony acidity. This rather refined Mâcon-Villages is still quite reserved. “We don’t like the pineapple style,” noted Aurélien Palthey. 89 points. Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media October 2016
2015 André Bonhomme Viré-Clessé Pierres Blanches RRP $45
The estate’s classic Viré-Clessé is from vines ranging from 10 to 45 years old. The main component of the blend comes from 30-year-old vines planted on the summit of the hillside on the rocks, with many little white stones in the soil, hence “pierres blanches”. It is made in stainless as well, to emphasise fruit and minerality.
(13.8% alcohol; done entirely in stainless steel and bottled at the end of July; from 40-year-old vines located near Bonhomme’s Mâcon-Villages, but with more calcaire and little white stones in the soil): Pale yellow-gold. Strongly mineral-dominated aroma of flinty silex. Concentrated and complex on the palate; richer and deeper than the Mâcon-Villages Vieilles Vignes, communicating a tactile saline quality. Incidentally, the yield here was a generous 55 hectoliters per hectare but this borderline-austere wine will need time to soften in bottle and blossom. These vines are planted on a south/southeast-facing slope at an altitude of 384 meters; lower-altitude vines on both sides of this parcel are classified as Mâcon-Villages. 90 points. Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media October 2016
2014 André Bonhomme Viré-Clessé Vieilles Vignes RRP $52
375ml LUC RRP $32
MAGNUM RRP$115
This cuvée is completely different because it’s from vines that are between 70 to 95 years old on clay and limestone. All the wines are separated during winemaking before blending. So, for 12 months all the wines are in oak ranging from new (15 to 20%) to 8 years old. Then the family blends all the barrels in stainless tanks to spend a further nine months or more.
(bottled in June; the vines here are 75 to 95 years old; made entirely in barriques, 20% new, then moved into stainless steel for its second year of aging): Pale straw-yellow. Riper, yellower and more exotic on the nose than the cuvée Spéciale, with aromas of apricot, honey and fresh porcini. Rich and firm on the palate, with enticing fruit flavors of peach, apricot and quince complemented by lightly saline minerality. Not a sweet or fleshy style, and nicely dry at 1.8 grams per liter of residual sugar. Finishes firm and persistent, with a strong impression of extract and brisk citrussy grip. “This wine is our ID card,” noted Palthey, adding that his grandfather was best known for this cuvée. 91 points. Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media October 2016