Franck Bonville : Les Belles Voyes Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2019

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for the Belles Voyes Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2019 by Franck Bonville

Tasting

Colour
Beautifully brilliant, the wine reveals an intense golden hue with yellow-gold highlights, enhanced by an exceptionally fine effervescence and persistent bubbles.

Nose
The bouquet opens with delicate floral scents reminiscent of acacia and honeysuckle, mingled with indulgent aromas of poached pear. With aeration, it gains in complexity, revealing pastry and toasty notes of brioche, frangipane and marzipan, underscored by a hint of roasted pineapple.

Palate
The attack is broad and generous, with a silky, creamy texture. The mid-palate unfolds delicious notes of shortbread and almond cream, freshened by subtle hints of mint. The long finish lingers on notes of sweet spices and candied citrus, carried by a superb chalky minerality.

Food and Wine Pairings

This gastronomic wine is a sublime partner for seafood platters and smoked or delicate white fish. It also pairs wonderfully with roast poultry or white meats served with a creamy mushroom sauce.

Serving and Cellaring

To appreciate the full complexity of the Belles Voyes Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2019, it is best served between 8 and 9°C, ideally in a wine glass. Already approachable, this Champagne has a fine structure that will allow it to develop gracefully in the cellar for several more years, or even a decade.

The Singular Expression of an Oger Grand Cru by Franck Bonville

The Estate

Founded in 1937 with the acquisition of cellars in Avize, the Champagne house Franck Bonville is an independent family estate. Now run by fourth-generation Olivier Bonville and his son-in-law Ferdinand Ruelle-Dudel, the estate covers around 15 hectares. This grower-producer stands out for its vineyard planted exclusively with Chardonnay on grand cru terroirs in the renowned Côte des Blancs. Strongly committed to environmental stewardship, the house is HVE3 certified and is pursuing its conversion to organic farming, crafting terroir-driven cuvées of great precision.

The Vineyard

Hailing from the prestigious Côte des Blancs in Champagne, this cuvée comes from a single historic plot called Les Belles Voyes. Located mid-slope on the grand cru terroir of Oger, this 0.80-hectare lieu-dit benefits from deep roots in pure chalk soils. Planted in 1960, these old vines enjoy optimal drainage and an ideal exposure, producing moderate yields that favour an exceptional concentration in the berries.

The Vintage

The 2019 vintage was marked by generally warm, sunny weather conditions. It allowed the berries to reach optimal ripeness, combining fine richness with remarkable tension, the hallmarks of great, balanced years.

Vinification and Ageing

The grapes from this single plot are pressed separately. The Belles Voyes Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru 2019 is vinified entirely in 228-litre Burgundian oak barrels, where both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations take place. The wine then undergoes extended ageing on the lees in bottle, which gives it its silky texture and great aromatic complexity.

Grape Variety

100% Chardonnay