Joseph Drouhin Bonnes-Mares 1996

According to the legend, a plough, one day, unearthed an ancient sculpture representing the three goddesses of fecundity. Called the "Good Mothers" by the locals, it soon became "Bonnes-Mares" (from "Bonnes-MSres"). This Grand Cru vineyard is halfway between Le Chambertin and Le Musigny, and yet is not as well known. Its overall surface is 15 hectares (37.5 acres), straddling two communes : Morey (the smaller portion) and Chambolle. Maison Joseph Drouhin is the proud owner of a beautiful parcel on the Chambolle side, planted of course with Pinot Noir. It is located on a gentle slope. Its soil, made up of small chalky stones, is very light and relatively easy to work. Yet, it is a very low yielding vineyard, made even more so because of the age of the vines and their severe "Guyot" pruning. No fertilizers or weed killers are used. The grapes are hand-picked and brought to the Drouhin cellars in small crates. Joseph Drouhin's winemaking technique remains strictly traditional. Fermentation and maceration occur in wooden open vats with punching down of the cap and pumping over of the juice. The wine ages in oak barrels for almost two years and is fined with egg whites prior to bottling. Bonnes-Mares is a wine of great breed: a sumptuous ruby-red colour, with an intense and luminous hue. Complex aromas reveal wild cherry and some discrete notes of brown tobacco. With age, truffle and musc become more evident. The structure, always firm, enables the wine to age and improve remarkably through the years. Only the greatest dishes can do justice to Bonnes-mares, together with the traditional accompaniments for a Grand Cru of Burgundy: roasted or grilled meats, fowl, venison and well aged cheeses.