If you haven't noticed, I've been doing some spring cleaning. To my surprise, we still have 30 bottles of Bonhomme's mind-bendingly good Vire-Clesse Vieilles Vignes, one of the estate's top wines and one of the best wines of the appellation. That's a bit of a problem, because I've got lots of new wines arriving soon and I need the space...
I would have no hesitation pouring this blind alongside top wines from Puligny, Chassagne, or Saint-Aubin. It is that good, but it doesn't cost anywhere close to what those wines command. To move the remaining inventory, I'm offering one of the best White Burgundy deals I've featured in a long time.
The Bonhomme family are pioneers and leaders of the Vire-Clesse AOC, one of the top white wine zones in Southern Burgundy. They reserve their oldest and best vines, many of which are more than 100 years old, for this wine, and those old, low-yielding vines deliver a level of concentration, complexity, and character rarely encountered at this price point.
This is truly old vine stuff, and you can detect that immediately when you pour the wine and see its deep golden color. Aged on the lees and in French oak (just 15% new) for nearly two years before release, it offers layers of ripe orchard fruits, flowers, roasted nuts, baking spices, and complex minerality. Full-bodied and expansive on the palate, it retains the vibrant acidity that has long been a hallmark of the Bonhomme style.
Most of this never leaves France, where it shows up on the lists of numerous Michelin-starred restaurants. I get it. This is world-class White Burgundy that drinks beautifully today and will continue to evolve for many years to come.
Serve it in a big glass, don't serve it too cold, and if you've been waiting for the right time to try one of Burgundy's great values, this is it.
Josh Spurling
Owner, Operator, Wine Monger
Table Wine Asheville
