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DOMAINE BONNEAU DU MARTR AY 2018 VINTAGE, EN PRIMEUR

EXCLUSIVE TO CORNEY & BARROW IN THE UK

â€œA generous campaign, the result of a sundriven vintage that was abundant in volume with optimal ripeness.â€? THIBAULT JACQUET April 2020

INTRODUCTION 2018 is an exciting statement of intent: the domaine’s first complete vintage under its new ownership. In January 2017, Domaine Bonneau du Martray was acquired by US businessman E. Stanley Kroenke, making him only the fifth owner in its 1200+ year history. Mr Kroenke’s impressive management team comprises Armand de Maigret and Thibault Jacquet. In addition to Bonneau du Martray, Armand de Maigret oversees Mr Kroenke’s Californian estates, including Screaming Eagle, whilst Thibault Jacquet is based at the domaine. Importantly, the core technical team remains unchanged under the new ownership. Fabien Esthor has been vineyard manager since 2003 and Emmanuel Hautus winemaker since 2011. As this vintage was still on the vine, in May 2018, it was

announced that 2.8 of the domaine’s 9.5 hectares of Corton-Charlemagne were to be leased to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. This well-received move took effect from November 2018 and means that as of next year’s release (the 2019 vintage), Bonneau du Martray’s production of Corton-Charlemagne will be reduced by 25-30%. I wrote last year that the domaine’s new labels can be scanned by smartphones to unlock further detail – a welcome development for both transparency and authentication. This year, new initiatives include experiments with alternative ageing vessels. Whilst showing itself reassuringly respectful of the domaine’s long history, there is also an exciting openness and a desire to extract the very best from these unique plots.

4 GUY SEDDON May 2020

The village of Pernand-Vergelesses seen from the hill of Corton

HISTORY At a time of great uncertainty, there is something comfortingly permanent about an estate which traces its origins directly to the Emperor Charlemagne in 775.

775 was the year in which, in compensation for the destruction of their abbey by the Saracens, the Emperor Charlemagne gifted what is now the domaine’s CortonCharlemagne vineyard to the monks of Saulieu. The Church owned the property for just over a thousand years until the French Revolution, when it was acquired by René Bonneau du Martray’s family, descendants of Nicolas Rolin, who founded the Hospices de Beaune in 1443. In the 19th Century, the Bonneau du Martray family controlled almost 24 hectares of vines, including the whole of the Charlemagne climat. René Bonneau du Martray, born in 1886, left the estate to his niece, Comtesse Alice le Bault de la Morinière, whose husband Jean took over in 1969. Jean began the estate’s renaissance, enlarging and improving the cuverie and cellars and introducing estate bottling and temperature control. Jean’s son, Jean-Charles le Bault de la Morinière, joined the domaine in 1994. Highly respected for his wines and his research into the intricacies of the hill of Corton, Jean-Charles converted the estate to biodynamics, with certification obtained in 2011.

THE VINEYARD The 2018 Corton-Charlemagne is the final vintage to come from all of the domaine’s 9.5 hectares.

The domaine has leased 2.8 hectares of CortonCharlemagne to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, meaning the area in domaine production will be reduced to 6.7 hectares from the 2019 vintage onwards. However, the 2018 vintage has been made from the entire 9.5 hectares, less four blocks which are currently being replanted.

Added to the 1.59 hectares of Pinot Noir (Corton Grand Cru), the domaine’s holdings total 11.09 hectares, the appellation’s largest single holding. They lie in one plot at the heart of the Charlemagne climat, spanning both En Charlemagne on the northern Pernand-Vergelesses side and Le Charlemagne on the southern Aloxe-Corton side. Corton-Charlemagne is the only west-facing grand cru in the Côte d’Or, meaning its vines enjoy extended exposure to the afternoon sun. This unique aspect is accentuated by the heat-reflective white marl soil. The elevated plots allow for excellent drainage whilst cold humid air passes through the valley at the base of the slopes. The hilltop wood buffers the highest parcels from cold winds. These features make for an extremely varied patchwork, conferring complexity on the finished wines. The hill of Corton, with its voluptuous slopes and generous woodland at its crest, some 300 metres above sea level, is composed of a bedrock of limestone, overlain by Jurassic soil. The parcels can be grouped into three larger sections, named after the families who tended them before Jean le Bault de la Morinière’s time. Each represents roughly a third of the holdings. The upper

slopes are dominated by white marl, with the proportion of iron and clay increasing as you descend the slope. The upper section, of around three hectares, is known as Rollin Haut. The soils here are poor, forming the “spine” of the wine, in Thibault Jacquet’s terminology. This adds mineral tension and acidity to the final blend. The midslope section is called Grande Plante – the “heart” of the wine, conferring a more generous, assertively fruited character. The lower slopes are known at the domaine as Les Latours. These, for Thibault, represent the “flesh” of the wine, contributing density and viscosity. The lower section tends to be picked first, the upper section last. The 40-strong harvest team typically takes one week to bring in the domaine’s grapes. The three parcels are vinified separately, with sub-cuvées made if Emmanuel Hautus and team so decide. The average age of the vines is over 50 years, although this is set to change as the replanting programme advances. Yields are low, the average being 40 hectolitres per hectare (hl/ha) for the white and under 30 hl/ha for the red. No herbicides or fertilisers are used and yields, whilst naturally controlled by the age of the vines, are further reduced by severe pruning in the early part of the growing season and by green harvesting when necessary. Following biodynamic trials on a third of the vineyard from 2005 to 2011, the whole estate was certified biodynamic in 2016. The domaine’s biodynamic supplier is the renowned Pierre Mason.

CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE GRAND CRU

CORTON GRAND CRU

Grape Variety Chardonnay

Grape Variety Pinot Noir

Vineyard Holding 2018 9.5 hectares

Vineyard Holding 2018 1.59 hectares

Average Age of Vines 56 Years

Average Age of Vines 54 Years

Average Production 3990 cases

Average Production 500 cases

Average Yield 40 hl/ha

Average Yield 30 hl/ha

Charlemagne

Corton-Charlemagne du domaine

Corton du domaine Map credit: Domaine Bonneau du Martray

2018 VINTAGE "2018 unveils a luscious texture and refinement worthy of our Charlemagne terroir." THIBAULT JACQUET April 2020

The gently sloping hill of Corton

2017 came to an end amid mild temperatures and heavy rainfall. Much-needed properly cold winter weather did not arrive until February 2018, with March remaining cool and the season therefore starting slowly. The domaine used a helicopter to protect the vines by warming the air on the ground. Conditions improved markedly in the warmth of early April, as ploughing got underway.

berries nicely. Picking at Bonneau du Martray was early, starting on 28th August with the Pinot Noir. The conditions were bright and relatively cool. Thibault describes the domaine’s crop as “overall healthy, despite a partial wilting on the lower part of one of the three plots of Corton, which was discarded”. As always, the domaine stuck firmly to its biodynamic practices.

Rain in May and June helpfully paused, allowing a rapid flowering in early June. The habitual spring de-budding was carried out to control the yield. The water table was full at this point and the heat of the day did not allow any moisture to settle, protecting the nascent berries.

As mentioned in the introduction, winemaker Emmanuel Hautus continues to innovate in the cellar. In addition to the traditional 228 litre Burgundian oak pièces (barrels), in 2018 the domaine used a larger 600 litre demi-muid, a sandstone amphora (for the Pinot Noir), a dolium (a large earthenware vase similar to a qvevri, as traditionally used in Georgia) and a concrete egg. He found that the last three non-oak vessels retained a certain purity of fruit.

Late June onwards was hot: between 26th June and the end of August, temperatures regularly exceeded 30°C. However, Thibault Jacquet was at pains to point out that although the summer heat was intense in Burgundy overall, “our microclimates kept the stress on our vines moderate”.

Both wines are currently in tank and will be bottled at the end of May, taking account of the lunar calendar, in line with the domaine's biodynamic practices.

Rain on 13th August refreshed the soil and plumped the

2018 TASTING NOTES CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE GRAND CRU

CORTON GRAND CRU

We tasted the final blend in March 2020, meaning this was as close to a finished wine as you can get. Delicate aromas of pastry and white stone-fruit, with pithy green citrus and apple skin in the background. The palate is bracingly fresh on the entry, an impressive density building on the mid-palate and a beautiful oyster shell texture beneath. Super-focused and with driving acidity, that trademark Corton-Charlemagne chalky mineral tension reverberating on the long finish. The oak is already seamlessly integrated. Going back to smell the empty glass after a few minutes, it is quite wonderfully perfumed. This spent 12 months ageing, with 30% new oak, followed by six months on its fine lees in tank.

Deep ruby colour, a little purple clinging to the sides of the glass. The nose is joyful, effusive – Parma violets and raspberry coulis, very much from the ‘new school’ of the domaine’s Corton. “Just smelling this brings a smile to your face”, I wrote (enthusiastically but slightly fatuously). The palate opens more sternly, with cool, precise raspberry fruit and a crunchiness of texture revealing the serious side of this terroir, before relaxing into a measured yet reassuringly plush mid-palate. Fine, fruit-coated tannins lend a refined definition. Another splendid example of what can be achieved with the domaine’s Pinot Noir holdings. Aged for 12 months in oak, then six months in tank before bottling.

Corney & Barrow Score 18 Recommended drinking from 2022 - 2029+

Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 - 18+ Recommended drinking from 2023 - 2033

£1,185/Case of 6 bottles, in bond UK £1,195/Case of 3 magnums, in bond UK

£780/Case of 3 bottles, in bond UK

Tasting Guide Our tasting notes provide full details but, at your request, we have also introduced a clear and simple marking system. We hope these guidelines assist you in your selection. Wines are scored out of 20. Customers seem to like it and it has the benefit of simplicity.

To Order LONDON

020 7265 2430 EDINBURGH

We will often use a range of scores (e.g. 16.5 to 17) to indicate the potential to achieve a higher mark. When a ‘+’ is shown it adds further to that potential. Wines from lesser vintages will, inevitably, show a lower overall score. Wines are judged, in a very broad sense, against their peers. Why? Well, you cannot easily compare a Ford with an Aston Martin, other than they are both cars and have wheels. It is not that different with wine.

01875 321 921 EMAIL

sales@corneyandbarrow.com PLEASE NOTE These wines are released en primeur. Delivery dates to be confirmed. All prices are quoted in bond UK.

A score is a summary only. The devil is in the detail, so please focus on the tasting notes and, as always, speak to our sales team.

RECOMMENDED DRINKING DATES Almost without exception our revised drinking dates are merely a reminder of what we recommended upon original release. We do not say that you cannot drink wines older if you wish, merely that we cannot continue to guarantee them if you ignore our recommendations! REVISED DRINKING DATES Vintage

Corton-Charlemagne

Corton

2000

Now

2001

Now

2002

Now

2003

Now

2004

Now

2005

Now

2006

Now

2007

Now

2008

Now

2009

Now

2010

Now

2016 - 2025

2011

Now

See Below

2012

2016 - 2021

See Below

2013

See Below

2014

See Below

2015

See Below

2016

See Below

2017

See Below

Vintage

Corton-Charlemagne

Corton

2000

From 2006

From 2005

2001

From 2005/6

From 2005

2002

From 2008

From 2006

2003

From 2007

From 2008

2004

From 2012

—

2005

From 2015

—

2006

From 2014

2007

2012 - 2015

2013 - 2015

2008

2014 - 2017

2014 - 2020

2009

2014 - 2018

2014 - 2020

2010

2017 - 2020

2018 - 2025

2011

2016 - 2019

2016 - 2022

2012

2017 - 2020

2017 - 2021

2013

2018 - 2022

2014

2019 - 2023

2019 - 2024

2015

2018 - 2022

2020 - 2025

2016

2020 - 2024

2021 - 2026

2017

2021 - 2028+

2022 - 2032

ORIGINAL DRINKING DATES

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