Domaine de la Bonne-Tonne
AOC Morgon. #1 in the informal hierarchy of the Beaujolais Crus, the deepest, densest, and most complex wines come from this 1100-hectare micro-zone. Decomposed rock, granite, schist, and iron deposits, a warm, dry wind that aerates the vines, a favorable microclimate – all these factors allow Morgons to be taken with the utmost seriousness: "il morgonne," as the locals say, referring to the gradual, noble aging of this wine. Moreover, unlike other Beaujolais Crus, there is also a cru in the sense we are accustomed to – the Côte du Py, which fully deserves its own appellation.
And then there's the wonderful estate of Bonne Tonne in Morgon, where you are welcomed by the 8th generation of the Grillet family – Anne-Laure and her husband Thomas – who left their promising careers behind to embrace the hard work of winegrowers and winemakers.
"We're now in full swing preparing for Demeter certification," says Anne-Laure, wiping the sweat from her brow. "My parents were deeply into organic viticulture, and since 2007 we've been unofficially practicing biodynamics, working extensively with compost, dynamizing preparations and spraying them – just a few grams per hectare, yet the effect is hard to overstate. Not long ago we retired our old 'tractor,' the mare Caline, and we're now breaking in a new one between the rows – the gelding Vigano, getting him used to the plow."
The size of Bonne Tonne is modest, just 4.8 hectares, of which 3.6 are spread over three climats in Morgon, while the remaining plots are shared between Beaujolais Blanc and another appellation, Régnié.
"We handle the harvest quickly," Anne-Laure continues. "Usually within six days. That's just twenty pickers, a couple of loaders, and two people monitoring the sorting table. Everything moves swiftly and cheerfully – in Beaujolais, the pickers are almost always locals: students, retirees, the unemployed... We work mornings and afternoons, and in the evenings we discuss the day over a glass of our wine. In the cellar, we look less like stereotypical Beaujolais producers. We take both maceration (15-20 days) and fermentation with indigenous yeasts (3-4 weeks) very seriously, as well as malolactic fermentation in oak barrels. Yes, before aging, we are flesh and blood of traditional AOC Beaujolais techniques, but who says that semi-carbonic maceration inevitably leads to shallow, superficial wines? Gamay has several personas, and in some of them, it could quite easily secure a role on the Côte-d'Or stage…"
