Burgundy 2012 Day 4: Visit to Domaine Bernard-Bonin
Meursault
Tasted Wednesday, October 24, 2012 by Paul S with 1,490 views
Introduction
We first visited Domaine Bernard-Bonin in Meursault last year, where we were impressed enough with the work produced by the relatively young couple running the property that we bought a few cases of their wines. This was a good opportunity to renew acquaintances and taste with them again.
Maison Bernard-Bonin's productions rests primarily in the white wines of Meursault, with one or two others from neighbouring villages. While not quite at the same level of the appellation's standard bearers (like Lafon, Roulot etc.), the wines are consistently solid throughout the range, with a clear leaning towards a brighter, fresher style with the grapes picked farily early and an emphasis on the wines expressing their terroir. Saying that though, the top two wines produced by the estate - a Meursault Genevrieres and a Puligny Folatieres - have been a pair of consistently excellent 1er Crus over the last few vintage, and easily warrant a place in the cellars of even the most discerning Burgundy-lovers.
This time round, we tasted through a range of 2011s in barrel and then a couple of slightly older wines in bottle. Like much of what we saw across the Cote, the 2011 whites were a bit less exciting than their 2010 counterparts. While a pretty good vintage in its own right, with friendly, fleshy fruit and good acidities, they lacked a bit of the ripe depth wed to the superb freshness and delineation of the 2010s. This was altogether an earlier-drinking, easier vintage, that I would perhaps best describe as being something 2008 with a bit more flesh on the sides.
2011 Domaine Bernard-Bonin Bourgogne Blanc Initiales B.B. 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc
A nice little Bourgogne Blanc. A bit of sulphur on the nose shaded pleasant aromas of cream, white fruit and a touch of mineral. The palate was simple, but very easy-drinking, with lemons and cream couched in a decent acidity, and then a little touch of mineral a the finish. Very decent stuff - this would make a pleasant quaffer.
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2010 Domaine Bernard-Bonin Meursault Clos du Cromin 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
A neat village lieu-dit. This showed a decent nose of sweet flowers, pears and apples with a dollop of Meursault cream on the side. There was good sense of clear purity on the palate, with fresh flavours of sweet lemons and green apples clean, leading into a mouthwateringly succulent finish where lemon candy hints and white flowers where underpinned with some grippy minerality. On the simple side, but a nice little village nonetheless. This should drink well young and over the mid-term. 89-90.
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2011 Domaine Bernard-Bonin Meursault Les Tillets 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Pretty nice - this was just a bit better than the Clos du Cromin that we tasted before it. Flinty mineral scents, ripe apple aromas and a touch of cream made for a rather attractive nose. In line with the house style, the palate was crisp, fresh and refreshing, with sweet but bright flavours of green apples and pears, and then some ripe lemons on the midpalate, which was lined with a linear, flinty minerality that gave the wine a nice shape and definition. A touch of oak and sweet hints of dried mango opened up at the lingering finish. A nicely accomplished village that should drink well young and over the next 5 to 6 years.
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2011 Domaine Bernard-Bonin Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes-Dessus 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
This was pretty good, although not a huge step up from the pair of well-made Meursault village wines that preceded it. The nose was rather deeper and more interesing, with aromas of fleshy white fruit and white flowers, a layer of cream and a nice streak of flinty mineral. The palate, on the other hand, was still not altogether integrated. It showed refreshing lemony acidity, lovely flinty mineral, and creamy fruit with a nice natural sweetness, all this leading into a good grippy finish with a nice sense of extract. This was certainly pleasant enough, with some nice constituents, but it wass a bit less than the sum of its parts at the moment feeling a bit loose knit. It should come together nicely with a bit more time in barrel though. 90-91
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2011 Domaine Bernard-Bonin Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
As always, this was the pick of the Meursaults. It had a nicely expressive nose, very flowery, almost perfumed, with a backdrop of lemony accents, some apples, and touch of cream and mushroom. Already quite a bit going on, but yet there was a sense that there was still more on offer if the wine is given its time to age. This was certainly the feel on the palate. It was still a bit tight. However, I did like what I tasted here - it had a lovely tension to it, with a solid structure of dry extract undergirding nicely fleshy flavours of green apples and pears that had a nice purity to them. Good long finish too, with a lick of saline, salty notes of meat and minerality. This was perhaps a bit less full and fine than the 2010 at this point, but it should nonetheless make a very nice Genevrieres given a few years in the bottle. 92-93
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2011 Domaine Bernard-Bonin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru La Garenne 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Good without being altogether special. There was a very deep, tight nose on this, yet it was clearly a completely different animal from the line-up if Meursaults that we tasted before. The nose here was less about cream and lemons and flinty, showing a touch of more earthy, sandy mineral notes, some toasted nuts and deep-set apple aromas. The palate too was a real change in gear. Here, the wine showed a rich attack of ripe apples and sweet lemons - nicely round, quite fleshy - and then a rather more mellows midpalate that leans out a bit to show a gentler linger of florals and figs into the finish, where a little grip of mineral and lemony acidity held centrestage. Still very young - this needs at least a few years in bottle to really show well I think. Pretty good though. 90-91
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2011 Domaine Bernard-Bonin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
This classy wine was my faouvite of the line-up once again. It was still tight when we tasted it, clearly needing time in the barrel. The nose showed a bit of reduction in fact, before some air brought out very nice scents of sweet apples and flowers, maybe just a touch of the pineapples I sometimes get from a Folatieres, and then a little toss of earth. Attractive stuff. The palate was rather rich and very giving, with full flavours of sweet apples and pineapples, orange and flowers, all wrapped in a creamy textured mouthful underlined by bright, lusciously lemony acidity and a lovely stony minerality. Good long finish too, with bits of spice shading the more stony mineral notes. A very nice wine indeed - this was the finest and most interesting one that we tasted on the day. This too will benefit from some time in the cellar I think. I would drink it starting 2015. 92-93
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