Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières

Domaine Bernard-Bonin

Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières

Producer
Domaine Bernard-Bonin

Country
France

Region
Burgundy

Sub-Region
Côte de Beaune

Appellation
Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

Farming
Sustainable, Organic (Ecocert), Biodynamic (Demeter), Vegan

Varietals
100% Chardonnay

Vineyards & Viticulture
Puligny's largest 1er Cru vineyard (17 hectares) and considered one of its finest, on the same slope and contour level as Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet. Vines were planted in the late 1930s. `Folatières` means `folles-terres` in old French, and this was once considered a haunted site. The Bonin's parcel is located within the lieu-dit of `Peux Bois` (1.5ha) meaning `ugly wood` just next to the `En la Richarde` parcel. This is just above the slope from Le Cailleret, and just alongside Les Demoiselles, north of Chevalier-Montrachet.

Soils
A thin layer (less than 20cm) of clay and chalk on top of bedrock

Harvest & Vinification
The Premier Cru sites are harvested last. Grapes are hand-harvested based on the lunar calendar and gently pressed. The resulting wines are aged sur lie in oak barrels with no sulfur additions, only active CO2 to protect the wine in barrel. Only one stirring of the lees at the very beginning stages of fermentation to keep the lees in suspension during malolactic, once the wine reaches approximately 3g/L of residual sugar. Once the lees completely settle, there is no more bâtonnage after April/May. No racking of the wines during élevage, only one racking before going into tank in December for four months prior to bottling in March. The wines are racked just once from their lees just before bottling, in synchronization with the lunar calendar, to ensure a naturally clear and stable state with the lowest atmospheric pressure for lees to be able to fully settle, thus avoiding fining and filtration. Longer barrel aging allows for fully dry wines below 1g/L r.s.