| Region of production: | Corton |
| Winery Location: | Pernand-Vergelesses |
| Year Established: | 1790s |
Vineyard Holdings
11 ha
- Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru En Charlemagne: 4.5 ha Chardonnay; soil is thin, rocky marl over hard, white limestone base
- Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Le Charlemagne: 5.15 ha Chardonnay, 1.35 ha Pinot Noir; soil is rocky marl with flint over hard, white limestone base; the lower slopes have more iron and clay and are planted to Pinot Noir
Top Wines Produced
- Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
- Corton Grand Cru (not imported into the U.S. currently)
Average Total Production
- 54,000 bottles
Summary
The property that is now the Bonneau du Martray estate was originally part of a larger parcel deeded to the Abbey of Saulieu by Charlemagne in 775CE, then sold to the Bonneau-Véry family when the Church’s lands were confiscated after the French Revolution. Today, Jean-Charles le Bault de la Morinière (whose mother inherited the domaine from her uncle, René Bonneau du Martray) runs the domaine.
Jean-Charles returned to plowing the vineyards and converted to organic farming. He began experiments with biodynamics in the mid-2000s, farming one third of the estate’s Chardonnay biodynamically so as to gauge wine quality against organic plots. The entire estate is now biodynamic (Ecocert certified in 2012; Demeter certification to follow). Jean-Charles also worked to improve the estate’s previously underperforming Corton Rouge by replacing some of the vines with Chardonnay and preserving only the oldest Pinot Noir vines for the cuvée.
Bonneau du Martray has the unique distinction of being the only domaine in Burgundy to sell only grand cru wine. Stan Kroenke, American billionaire noted for owning Screaming Eagle, purchased the majority stake in the estate in 2017.
Style & Vinification Techniques
The domaine’s holdings are divided into 15 white blocks and two red blocks, all of which are hand-harvested and vinified separately. The whites are whole-cluster-pressed, and after 24 hours of settling, fermentation takes place in one-third new barrels without inoculation. Bâtonnage is performed carefully, the frequency and duration of which are determined by constant tasting of the young wine. After 12 months in oak the wine is racked to stainless steel for several months’ aging prior to bottling. On occasion, the domaine also holds quantities of wine back for aging and later release.
Producer Website: Bonneau du Martray