Bonnet ponson
- country
- France
- region
- AOC Champagne, Montagne de Reims
- vineyard area
- 10.5 ha
- Floor
- Sandy clay, limestone, chalk
- Grape varieties
- 34% Pinot Noir; 32% Chardonnay, 32% Pinot Meunier, 2% Petit Meslier
- Management
- Biological
The winery, located in Chamery, was founded in 1862 by Grégoire Bonnet. In 1956 André, the grandfather of today's winemaker Cyril Bonnet, married the winemaker's daughter Monique Ponson from Vrigny. This is how the domain Bonnet-Ponson came into being. Her son Thierry took over the winery in 1979. In addition to the Premier Cru locations in Chamery, Vrigny and Coulommes-la-Montagne, there are also some Grand Cru parcels in Verzenay. In 2013, after studying oenology and working experience in southwest France, Cyril Bonnet returned to Chamery and converted the winery to organic farming. With him the style changes from conservative to “natural”. He intervenes as little as possible in the cellar: spontaneous fermentation with natural yeasts, unfiltered, zero dosage, no or minimal addition of sulfur. The wines are aged in predominantly used oak barrels, with a small proportion of new barrels being purchased annually. In addition, there is expansion in stainless steel or concrete tanks.
Each year, 30 to 40% of the harvest is placed in the reserve for blending with future vintages. This "taste memory", introduced 50 years ago by André Bonnet, guarantees the continuity of Bonnet-Ponson's style. After bottling and second fermentation, the cuvées rest in the cellar for between 3 and 10 years, the time necessary to reach the perfect ripeness point, in the balance between freshness and vinosity.
After the maturation period, each bottle is specially disgorged and given the appropriate dosage of the shipping liqueur, the final touch in the production of the champagne.
Bonnet-Ponson cultivates around 10.5 hectares of vineyards, divided into the three classic grape varieties: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. A small plot is planted with the indigenous Petit Meslier grape variety, which is only used for the still wine “Chamery Blanc”. Cyril, who looks strikingly similar to the young Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, has established as his trademark the saber with which his father sabered champagne bottles during his army service with the cavalry in Saumur.
