Background

The amiable Christophe Bonnard runs this domaine in the heart of Pouilly-Fumé country. He owns vineyards on all of the area’s major soil types, Kimmeridgian clay, Limestone and the area’s famous Silex, the flint which gives these wines their distinctive smokey note, “Pierre à fusil” or gun flint. Most of the plots benefit from being close to the Loire and facing south-west. Christophe call his farming ‘traditional and sustainable’, inputs are used sparingly, they work the soil and let grass grow between the rows. In the winery the grapes are pressed gently and the musts settled for 24-36 hours. Everything is fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel- Christophe likes a long, slow fermentation which he feels brings out the best aromas and fruit. The wines then see lees ageing to gain further weight and complexity.

These are direct, precise wines, with fruit in the cool citrus spectrum alongside peach and floral notes. They are fresh and racy, with a real mineral tension from the soils on which they grow. They are text-book Pouilly-Fumé.

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