FRANCE
Bonnaire
Champagne Bonnaire was founded in 1932, the property is located in Cramant, and synonym with Chardonnay, Champagne Bonnaire produces exceptional terroir orientated Champagnes.
Cramant is a Grand Cru village located in the heart of the ‘Côte des Blancs’. Champagne Bonnaire was established following the economic crisis in 1930. The founder, Fernand Bouquemont, decided to stop delivering his fruits to négociants instead to start vinifying himself. For the first release in 1932 the estate will receive a Gold Medal at the prestigious ’Concours Général Agricole de Paris’.
Following the 2nd World War, André Bonnaire will join his brother in law, Fernand Bouquemont, in the family estate. Descended from a multi-generational family of Champagne growers, André Bonnaire will focus on the viticulture side of the property with the help of his son Jean-Louis.
Today the property covers 22 hectares of Grands Crus vineyards mainly planted with Chardonnay. Jean-Louis contributed greatly to the modernization of production which brought exceptional results and developed further notoriety of the Champagne Bonnaire brand.
The estate is now in the hands of his two sons; Jean-Etienne who is in charge of production and Jean-Emmanuel who looks after sales and marketing.
La Maison Bonnaire is mobilized all year around working in the vineyards. Managing each intervention in the vineyards, the fruit maturity and acidity are closely monitored, in order to create the perfect balance with exceptional base product aimed for a longer aging potential.
Champagne Bonnaire house style starts developing itself from harvest time. The pressing of the fruit is a crucial step within the entire process; it is about preserving the integrity of the fruit by practicing delicate and fractioned pressing techniques. Champagne Bonnaire produces some of best and most representative styles of Champagne from the Côte des Blancs, mainly due to its long experience with blending and the exceptional know how to anticipate the aging path of each cuvée.