2012 Bonnes-Mares, Grand Cru, Olivier Bernstein, Burgundy

The name may derive from bonnes mères, the good mothers (nuns) of Nôtre Dame de Tart, or from the verb marer, to cultivate. The vineyard (15.06ha) has a complex terroir with both red clay and a whiter marlstone soil. The vines are 50-years-old and the stems always ripen well here; accordingly Olivier has vinified this wine using 80 percent whole bunches.

Fine bright purple with notable depth, the beautifully perfumed nose has none of the astringency which can be associated with whole-bunch vinification. Instead the presence of the stems has aerated the vibrant blackcurrant and strawberry fruit, leavening the weight of the wine with a fresh crunch at the finish. A complex, lovely, harmonious wine.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

The wines of Burgundy – perhaps more than any other region – are a product both of place but also of people. With individual vineyard plots often split amongst countless producers, the terroir expressed in a wine can be unusually specific; equally the style of the winemaker can be readily discerned when tasted against his neighbours.

Back in 2007, Jasper Morris MW – Berry Bros. & Rudd’s Burgundy buyer, who lives in the region for most of the year – heard whispers about a new producer, whose wines were said to be universally impressive. Jasper duly sought out Olivier Bernstein and tasted his portfolio: “It was terrifically exciting to come across a brand-new quality producer in the Burgundy market, and to taste wines of such class from his very first vintage,” says Morris.

“Now, five years on, Olivier has matured into a confident player with his Premiers and Grands Crus wines of the Côte de Nuits.” Since Berry Bros. & Rudd first offered Bernstein’s wines with the 2007 vintage, Olivier’s reputation in the UK and worldwide markets has steadily grown. We are delighted that the 2012 vintage