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Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
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Bonnes Mares

Grand Cru

Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
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Service

  • Cellaring

    Optimal consumption: 15 to 20 years

    Ageing potential: 30 years

  • Tasting temperature

    16-18°C (61-65°F)

Grape variety

Pinot Noir

Vineyard

Producing communes: Chambolle-Musigny et Morey-Saint-Denis.

Site: Bonnes-Mares is halfway between Chambertin and Musigny, and yet less well-known than either. The vineyard straddles two communes: Morey and Chambolle. The Drouhin parcel is located on the Chambolle side.

History & tradition: according to legend, a farmer discovered in his field a sculpture representing the three goddesses of fecundity whose name was « Bonnes Mères » (« Good Mothers »), hence the name « Bonnes Mares ».
« Mares » could also come from the old French referring to a winegrower’s tool used to dig the old quarries once located on this land.                                         

Soil: mild incline; light soil, mixed with chalky pebbles.

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Tasting

by Véronique Boss-Drouhin

A wine with great breed. Bright, intense ruby-red colour. Complex aromas of Morello cherry (« griotte »), cherrywood, raspberry, and, in some years, a discreet touch of tobacco. As the wine ages, there are notes of truffle and musk. On the palate, a good balance between structure and texture. A remarkably long aftertaste.

Vintage

The brightness and intensity of the 2022 reds are impressive. The nose, of great complexity, combines aromas of blackberry, blueberry and blackcurrant with floral scents of peony and violet. On the palate, the spices underline silky, high-quality tannins. Ample, full-bodied and fresh, these wines are an archetype of balance between aromas and structure with a very real ageing potential.

Vintage review

Viticulture

Throughout its 100-hectare (247 acres) estate, Maison Joseph Drouhin has adopted organic viticulture practices since the late 1980s and biodynamic viticulture since the 1990s. Our credo is to provide « natural answers to natural problems ». All our practices show the greatest respect for the soil, the vine, and the environment. Our deliberately low production yields allow our grapes to reveal the precise expression of each terroir.

Winemaking

Harvest: grapes harvested by hands in open-work crates. If necessary, a careful sorting is proceeded.

Vinification: whole crop harvest of 20 to 50% depending on the vintage. In accordance with the terroir and the profile of the vintage, we do 2 to 3 weeks of fermentation and maceration in small open vats, marked by punching of the cap and pumping-over. The yeasts are indigenous (natural). Pressing in a vertical press. Separation of the ends of the presses based on tasting.

Ageing:  in oak barrels including 30% of new barrels.
The ageing lasts between 16 to 20 months.
Origin of the wood: oak grown in French high forest.

Throughout the ageing process, decisions are taken only after careful tasting evaluation. The data obtained is completed through technical analysis. As with every other Joseph Drouhin wine, absolute priority is given to the true expression of terroir and character of the vintage.