It’s always a pleasure for us to share with you our wine discoveries, little-known nuggets that are the fruit of the labor of men and women with a keen awareness of their environment, a passion for their terroir, a vision for their wines, and a high standard of quality.
Today, we’re taking you to the northern reaches of Burgundy, to a hilly region, dotted with vineyards, forests and castles, crossed by the Burgundy canal, famous for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs, the smiling and discreet Tonnerre region.
Situation
The vineyard of Bourgogne Tonnerre is located on hillsides on either side of the river Armançon, a tributary of the river Yonne. We’re in the far north of Burgundy, 16 km north-east of Chablis and 40 km from Champagne.
History
In the Tonnerrois region, the cultivation of vines dates back to the 9th century. From the 10th century onwards, the monks of the abbeys of Quincy, near Tanlay, and Saint Michel, near Tonnerre, intensified and improved winegrowing practices.
In the 12th century, Abbot Bernard de Clairvaux imposed strict principles of life on the Cistercians, alternating hard work and prayer. Guided by these rules, the monks cultivated their vineyards and farmland in order to enhance them. Using new techniques (trellising or “palissage”, row cultivation, vatting processes), their work contributed to the reputation of Burgundy wines. These methods of cultivation and vinification have hardly been improved on to this day.
During the reign of Louis XV (1710-1774), a member of the Tonnerre nobility, the Chevalier d’Éon, a diplomat famous for his disguises as a woman, also used Tonnerre wines to loosen tongues in all the capitals of Europe.
In 1827, the vineyard covered 5817 hectares, before phylloxera decimated the plantations, as it did throughout Europe. In 1956, the fate is hard and, this time, it was the frost that destroyed almost the entire vineyard.
After the phylloxera, oidium and mildew that devastated the European vineyard in 20 years – 1863-1885 -, 3000 hectares were replanted in the Tonnerrois. But with catastrophic weather conditions in the early 20th century, and then the First World War during which the male population of the region was devastated, the area of vines fell to 1000 hectares. It remained at this level until the great frost of 1956, which again decimated the vines.
It took the passion and energy of a handful of men and women to raise a battered vineyard from the ashes. For seventy years later, the vineyard covers 103 hectares, half planted with Pinot Noir and the other half with Chardonnay, under the Bourgogne Tonnerre and Bourgogne Epineuil appellations.
The parents of Dominique Gruhier are part of this handful of men and women determined to give back to the region its viticultural nobility. In 1990, they acquired an old dependency of the Abbey of Petit Quincy, a gigantic wine cellar created in 1212 by Cistercian monks, a welcoming place in a sumptuous setting. “These historic buildings allow an optimal vinification of wines and thus, to offer you unique wines of character” says Dominique.
Indeed, with the arrival of the family, this estate has regained its vocation wine. Since then, wines have evolved under the influence of Dominique to be recognized by professionals and amateurs as a reference in Burgundy (Coup de coeur Guide Hachette, Gault et Millau Guide, Revue des Vins de France, and medallists in Paris, Mâcon, etc.).
“Today, I am a bit of a custodian of this thousand-year-old history. And for me, out of respect for these very hard-working men of God, it was really important to transcribe it in my wine and on the label. It really is a strong link between the history of the monks and my personal adventure today.”
Our advice
The lemony, iodized freshness of wines from the Bourgogne Tonnerre appellation is best enjoyed with rather refined, iodized dishes, such as oysters, seafood, shellfish, sushi, fish and shellfish tartars, served at the table or as tapas. More mature wines from the Bourgogne Tonnerre appellation go well with steamed fish, vegetable risottos, land-sea dishes, creamy cheeses, white meats in sauce or foie gras for the more intrepid.
*Discover our wines from Dominique Gruhier!