Terroir Insight: Maison Joseph Drouhin, Bonnes Mares

One of the hidden treasures of Bonnes Mares is the elusive and elegant wine from Maison Joseph Drouhin. The Bonnes Mares is like the other top wines from Drouhin very rare, as the production is rather limited.

The history of the Joseph Drouhin Bonnes Mares dates back in the early 1940, as the Drouhin plots originates from the Mugnier holdings in Bonnes Mares.

So lets take a closer look at the Bonnes Mares of Maison Joseph Drouhin.

Bonnes Mares – the darker side of Chambolle Musigny

Bonnes Mares is sort of the “dark side” of Chambolle-Musigny, a vineyard that represents a hybrid between Chambolle and Morey – a vineyard that sometimes is a bit disregarded when compared with the mighty Musigny.

In very few cases Bonnes Mares is mentioned as matching Musigny – aside from perhaps Domaine Georges Roumier (although I personally think the Musigny is the greater wine) – and in the Mugnier case the Musigny clearly the king, and the Bonnes Mares is perhaps regarded to be on more equal terms with Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses quality wise.

Bonnes Mares is 15.05 ha – hence almost 40% larger than Musigny – and is located in both Chambolle Musigny and Morey-Saint-Denis. The main part is in Chambolle-Musigny – north of the village and Les Fuées – and only 1.52 ha is located in the Morey appellation – just south of Clos de Tart.

Bonnes Mares begins at the southern end of Clos de Tart – actually there is a part of Bonnes Mares located within the enclosed walls of Clos de Tart – and this part is now a part of Clos de Tart, although it’s named Bonnes Mares in the official cadastre.

Bonnes Mares continues from Clos des Tart to Chambolle Musigny Les Fuées and the village part of Chambolle Musigny Les Cras, with the top of the slope not being a part of Bonnes Mares, but either village or the 1er cru part of Chambolle-Musigny Les Véroilles (the 1er cru is a monopole owned by Domaine Ghislaine Barthod).