Domaine Bouard-Bonnefoy Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes Rouge 2021

The wines of Bouard-Bonnefoy are what you call hidden gems. The own production of this artisanal family winery is very limited. The family supplies the majority of the grapes from eight hectares of its own vineyards to Pierre-Yves Colin Morey, one of the great cult winemakers of Burgundy.

The winery of Fabrice Bouard and his wife Carinne is located in Chassagne-Montrachet, right next to Domaine Ramonet's plot in premier cru vineyard Morgeot. Most of their vineyards are located in Chassagne and planted with old vines - a legacy of Carinne, who represents the fourth generation in a Chassagne winemaking family.

It will therefore come as no surprise that the specialty of the family is Chassagne-Montrachet. The lion's share is of course white, but Fabrice and his daughter Clara also make very charming red Chassagne in minuscule editions. This delightful Vieilles Vignes, for example.

The pinot noir grapes are harvested by hand from old sticks in various Chassagne parcels. For pressing, Fabrice uses a decades-old wooden basket press – a family heirloom. The vinification is traditional: the wine ferments spontaneously and matures for a year in oak casks.