Domaine Bouard-Bonnefoy

Fabrice Bouard never set out to be a winemaker. In fact, he was on track for a career in the military, working security for French dignitaries, when a harvest job at Domaine Bernard Morey changed the course of his life — it was there that he met the girl next door, Carine Bonnefoy, and fell hopelessly in love with.

Carine carries the weight of four generations of Chassagne winemaking in her family. When her father, Henri Bonnefoy — a man well known locally for his painstaking care in the vineyard — retired in 2006, Fabrice and Carine returned home to steer the ship of this tiny family domaine, with Henri staying close by to lend a hand in the fields. Their young daughter Clara has since joined the family team in 2017, carrying the tradition into a fifth generation of winegrowers. What was once a modest wine operations sold mainly to friends, locals and conglomerates, is today entirely bottled at the estate as its own production and brand across 5 hectares, with almost half of its volume exported around the world.

The Bouard-Bonnefoy farms sustainably, adopts lutte raisonnée, plows between the rows rather than reaching for herbicides, and turns to only the smallest, most necessary treatments when the vines need help. Everything here is done fully by hand and by instinct.

Harvest is done manually (of course) in small cases before being sorted meticulously in the winery. The fruit is then lightly crushed and pressed in the family's own inherited wooden press, given a gentle settling, then sent straight into barrels — mostly traditional sizes, with a few larger 350-liter casks — where fermentation unfolds naturally, driven by indigenous yeasts alone. New oak is used with a light touch, just 25-30% at most for the more prestigious cuvées, allowing the wine's own character and terroir to shine. Only minimal sulfur is used here, mainly to protect the wines. And to this day, every single bottle is still corked and labeled by hand.

Also, we were delighted to find out that they did not rip out any of their Pinot Noir vines in Chassagne-Montrachet (unlike so many others in the region in pursue of higher financial returns by replanting vineyards with Chardonnay) as Fabrice's Chassagne reds are truly truly wonderful.

The Bouard-Bonnefoy sets the standard for profoundly flavourful Burgundy — the kind of honest, artisanal wine that feels almost impossible to find in an age of ultra modern technology and fleeting trends. These are really beautiful wines that capture the soul of Chassagne's terroir, pure in aroma, deep in flavour, and utterly seductive from the very first sip.

Wines That Are Available in Singapore:

Bourgogne Côte d’Or Chardonnay 2024 @ $99
Chassagne-Montrachet Blanc 2024 @ $139
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er cru Les Chenevottes 2024*
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er cru Morgeot-Les Petits Clos 2024*
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er cru En Remilly 2024*
Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge Vieilles Vignes 2024 @ $129
Chassagne-Montrachet Rouge 1er Cru La Maltroie 2024*

*Wines On Allocation. Please Enquire.
Note: Prices are subject to change without notice.