Domaine Andre Bonhomme Vire-Clesse Les Pierres Blanches 2022
(Maconnais, Burgundy, France)

History:

“Viré-Clessé is the northernmost of the top-level AOCs within in the Mâconnais area of southern Burgundy. Other Mâconnais AOCs include Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Loche, Pouilly-Vinzelles and Saint-Véran.

The villages Viré and Clessé were originally permitted to call their wines Mâcon-Viré or Mâcon-Clessé. The quality of these wines, produced exclusively from Chardonnay, began to escalate in the latter part of the 20th century. Some growers recognized the best of their wines could rival those of their more known and expensive neighbors in Pouilly-Fuissé.

Because the wines of Viré and Clessé closely resembled each other, it was decided to roll them into a single appellation. They applied for separate appellation status in an attempt to distance themselves from the more generic Mâcon classification.

Created in February 1999, the Viré-Clessé appellation was intended to single out the small area capable of producing white wines of quality.“

Got that? In other words, it used to be plain old Macon until the French finally realized that the wines from here were some of the most unique wines in Burgundy and finally gave these growers their due. The best Viré-Clessé is like the best Pouilly Fuissé, at half the price.

Without doubt, two of the hottest growers in Viré-Clessé right now are Aurelien and Johan Palthey of Domaine Andre Bonhomme. Aurelien and Johan are the sons of Jacqueline Bonhomme and Eric Palthey, current proprietors for the domaine. They are young energetic and ready to give not just Pouilly Fuissé but perhaps the whole of white Burgundy a run for its money.

The Bonhomme wines are some of the most exotic, uniquely styled Chardonnays in the world from one of the grapes most unique locales.

Charles writes:

“So how does the family do it? Aurélien thinks that Viré-Clesse's proximity to the Saône River enables its producers to make wonderful sweet wines. Perhaps this particular microclimate even gives the dry wines a wonderful exoticism and age-worthiness.

The soil in the Viré-Clessé AOC contains less iron than that of Pouilly-Fuissé. It's primarily Jurassic limestone that contains some marl. Clay lies at the foot of the slopes. Mixed in are sandstone pebbles known as chailles. Cray (white limestone pebbles typical of the Mâconnais) insures proper drainage.

Yields are kept low. The grapes are picked by hand, with harvesters instructed to leave any unripe or rotten grapes on the ground. The grapes are delicately pressed with their stems in a balloon press.

Parcels are vinified separately using only their indigenous yeasts. All wines go through malolactic fermentation. The wines are lightly filtered before bottling so that they are clear and brilliant. Sulfur at bottling is 80-80 mg/liter (the maximum permitted in France is 250 mg/liter).

Some wines are aged in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks while others are barrel-fermented. Certain cuvées spend up to 24 months in barrels in these slowly-maturing conditions.

The domaine releases their bottlings much later than many other producers in Burgundy. Even after such extended aging, they often wait six months before putting their wines on the market. Time moves slowly at Chez Bonhomme.

These are white wines that taste great on release, but have what it takes to endure. Don't be afraid to hang on to some bottles. You will be rewarded for your patience.”

Les Pierres Blanches (The White Stones) delivers all of these attributes and more. From a 50 year-old plot of Chardonnay planted at over 1,000 feet in elevation, it is Bonhomme's highest vineyard, and it is always one of the last to be harvested. In addition to the long hang time this gives the grapes, the soils here are super rocky and limestone-rich, which stresses the vines to their maximum potential

It all adds up to a fabulous bottle of Chardonnay. Fermented in stainless steel, it sees a whopping 18 months of aging on the lees. Complex and alluring, this pours a golden color and offers up captivating aromas of caramelized white peach, pineapple, apricot, leesy spice, and intense mineral. Rich and concentrated yet zesty and high-toned, the yin effortlessly matches the yang in this one :)

Like all of Bonhomme's whites, this drinks wonderfully well now, but it's got a decade or more of cellar potential. Once you buy it and get it home, it's your call : )