As most of the Côte d’Or’s best wine estates are releasing their 2021 classic en primeur, we pause to shine a lightweight on Domaine de la Bongran – a hidden gem of the Mâconnais that produces a few of our favourite wines
Domaine de la Bongran isn’t any odd Mâconnais property. Since Jean Thévenet took over the domaine in 1972, this Viré-Clessé producer has turn into a cult identify – with Jean a pioneer of organics and minimal intervention, in addition to the property’s distinctive wine fashion.
Based mostly within the village of Quintaine – a hamlet between Viré and Clessé, Jean Thévenet and his son Gautier (who has been concerned since 1996, on the helm since 2000) produce distinct wines that provide astounding worth. They choose later than lots of their neighbors, producing a richer fashion of Chardonnay. The wines are naturally beneficiant and full-bodied, however with unbelievable focus and superb freshness. The Thévenets assign the latter to the property’s white marl soils, which they really feel allow the fruit to retain its acidity even when super-ripe.
Whereas most estates are at present providing their 2021s, the Thévenets solely launch their wines once they’re able to drink – with the 2018 the most recent classic to emerge from these particular cellars – and the wines age fantastically – typically peaking after a decade in bottle.
The property has lengthy been a favourite of ours – and has acquired critical essential acclaim, but nonetheless manages to fly underneath the radar. Allen Meadows, aka Burghound, wrote, “The standard of what’s produced right here is mind-boggling”, whereas the Wine Advocate’s William Kelley has mentioned that “Thévenet makes a few of my favourite whites in all of Burgundy”. Robert Parker famous how served blind, many imagine they’re tasting Grand Cru white Burgundy fairly than a “lowly” Mâconnais that is available in at a fraction of the value.
The “dry” Cuvée E.J. Thévenet (beforehand often known as Cuvée Custom) has a contact of residual sugar (usually between 2 and 4g/l). This meant that for a number of years the wine needed to be declassified to Mâcon-Villages, as Viré-Clessé was – till 2003 – solely permitted to have as much as 2g/l residual sugar. After the nice and cozy 2003 classic, a yr wherein many producers made wines with greater than the permitted residual sugar for the appellation, the INAO modified the principles and Domaine de la Bongran might formally put Viré-Clessé on their labels as soon as extra.
Within the Winery
Gautier took over the viticulture and winemaking in 2000, though his father Jean remains to be concerned. The property consists of 15 hectares, all of that are organically farmed. The vines are as much as 80 years outdated, at 250 to 300 meters’ altitude in Quintaine, in Viré-Clessé. The white marl soils are key to the wine fashion produced, retaining freshness within the wines.
The choice of when to choose is made on style fairly than numbers, with the grapes harvested solely when they’re ultra-ripe – filled with taste and complexity. Every little thing is picked by hand and yields are low, 35-45hl/ha – round thrice decrease than the appellation’s limits.
Jean & Gautier Thevenet
Within the Vineyard
As Jean Thévenet says, “Terroir is to wine what a composer is to music.; the winemaker being solely the conductor.” On this spirit, there’s little or no intervention within the vineyard.
They use a Coquard press to softly extract the juice and preserve the fruit’s delicate aromatics. The should then ferments extremely slowly with indigenous yeasts, taking as much as two years. The wine stays on its tremendous lees, giving the wines a viscous texture, whereas the white marl soil lends them minerality and acidity. Regardless of the wines richness, there’s no oak in any respect right here, with solely stainless-steel tanks within the vineyard.
This property has managed to remain out of the highlight, and the wines are actually particular – providing phenomenal worth from one of many area’s most fun estates.
Discover out extra about Domaine de la Bongran’s newest launch
