Bonnet Cotton - Chardonnay VDF 2022 750ml (12% ABV)

very allocated VDF Chard. - we could only get 8 bottles

After working for a short stint as a motorcycle mechanic, in 2014, Pierre Cotton reclaimed one hectare of Côte de Brouilly from his family to make his first cuvée Inspired by tasting wines with young Beaujolais compatriots Yann Bertrand, Jules Metras, and Keke Descombes, Pierre’s wines are all farmed organically and vinified with precious little sulfur (if any at all – some cuvées are without any – and never more than 10g/l). Following the success of his first wine, Pierre fully took over the family domaine in 2015. Now, Pierre has expanded the breadth of the winery’s vision and focus with input from his partner, Marine Bonnet, who officially joined the domaine in 2020, resulting in the domaine’s name change to Bonnet-Cotton. 

Marine Bonnet is an agronomist specialized in viticulture, and together the duo are implementing many changes throughout their jointly held vineyards: in 2021, they planted 500 trees throughout their parcels in Brouilly, in an effort to recreate lost habitat for animals in the vineyards, particularly between the streams at lower elevations and the woods at the peak of each Beaujolais cru, which are usually hilltops. Marine also has guided this implementation of further interplanting of specific tree species in an effort to stave off the intense droughts Beaujolais has endured via the water retention trees can provide, as well as adding shade and decreasing overall temperatures in the vineyards. Pierre and Marine have also been speaking with neighbors in Brouilly and other villages to join in these changes, potentially contributing to a communal ecological effort against climate change and some of the disastrous vintages growers in the region have suffered in the last five years.

 taken from a single plot of young vines planted at the domaine on a unique vein of limestone.

region: Beaujolais, France

varietal: Chardonnay

style: white

farming/cellar: organic, ambient yeast, fermented and aged in old French oak foudres that were built to hold beer in the 1950s-60s for 8 months, unfined, unfiltered, no added s02

pairing