2004 Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne Bonnaire

Jean Louis Bonniare and his son Jean Louis are rather fortunate to be one of the major land-owners in the Grand Cru village of Cramant, with an impressive 17 hectares to their name in this pretty Côte des Blancs enclave just south of Epernay. Cramant is famous for elegant Chardonnay-based Champagnes; indeed, before it was banned ( la trahison des clercs) the slightly less pressurised , as it were, Crémant de Cramant was, beyond the pleasing assonance of its name, one of the most elegant styles of all Champagnes.

The essence of the style remains however, and the 2004 from Bonniare captures it perfectly; hawthorn, acacia and mirabelle plum on the nose lead to an finely-honed palate where steel-sharp acidity is tempered by the plush of high quality fruit and an autolytic legacy from three and a half years on the lees.