About this WINE
Champagne Bonnaire
Bonnaire is a family owned Champagne estate, based in the village of Cramant south of Epernay in Champagne’s Côte des Blancs.
Jean-Louis Bonnaire is at the helm of the estate. Monsieur Bonnaire’s vineyards cover more than 22 hectares, and are planted with Chardonnay, which is the sole component of the Bonnaire cuvées (all Blanc de Blanc Champagnes), with the exception of the Rosé which is a blend of equal parts Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
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Description
Bonnaire is a family-owned estate, based in the village of Cramant south of Epernay in Champagne’s Côte des Blancs, with Jean-Louis Bonnaire at the helm. Monsieur Bonnaire’s vineyards cover more than 22 hectares, and are planted with Chardonnay, which is the sole component of the Bonnaire cuvées (all blanc de blancs Champagnes), with the exception of the rosé which is a blend of equal parts Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
An archetype of Grand Cru Chardonnay Champagne, complete with Cramant’s traditional floral tribute, the 2005 has been aged for an impressive 72 months and bottled with eight grams of residual sugar. Classic summer flower and hedgerow aromas give way to a rich, gently honeyed palate, with persistent mousse, a spicy sub-plot and plenty of autolytic complexity.
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