Domaine Bouard-Bonnefoy Chassagne-Montrachet 1er cru Les Vergers 2018

The winged expression 'le vin se fait dans la vigne' certainly applies to the beautiful wines of the small family wine estate Bouard-Bonnefoy. The quality of their grapes is so sublime that they can proudly call themselves suppliers to none other than Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, one of the absolute elite producers in Burgundy.

From a small part of their grapes, Fabrice Bouard and his daughter Clara, who also did an internship at Pierre-Yves, make their own beautiful, pure white Burgundies. Most of the family's vineyards are located in Chassagne-Montrachet. This is therefore the specialty of the house.

The chardonnay grapes for this special cuvée come from the premier cru vineyard Les Chenevottes, on the border with Saint-Aubin. The soil - a mix of lime, clay and marl - is relatively fertile. This translates into a rich, mature style Chassagne.

After manual harvesting and pressing in an old-fashioned wooden vertical press, the wine ferments with natural yeasts in oak casks. A year of barrel aging follows, with occasional light bâtonnage, or stirring of the yeasts.

This creates an impressive Chassagne with notes of citrus, ripe stone fruit, butter, toast and minerality, a silky smooth texture and a long finish. A gastronomic wine par excellence, for example with chicken from the oven or a creamy fish dish.