2017 Domaine Andre Bonhomme Vire-Clesse 750 ml

Our introduction to the stunning white Burgundy of Domaine André Bonhomme was made by the sommelier at Taillevent, the late Jean-Claude Vrinat’s Michelin three-star restaurant in the 8th arrondissement. This was years ago, and the sommelier, recognizing our bargain hunting instincts, suggested Bonhomme’s golden-hued 1978—a bottle that was still drinking beautifully on our last visit chez Bonhomme in 2013!—and then winked as he said “It’s like Meursault at one-third the price.”

The 2017 Domaine André Bonhomme Viré-Clessé takes a page from that brilliant 1978 script. Glistening pale yellow-green to the rim, it's infused with mouthwatering aromas of ripe apple, pear, and quince, tinged with anise and bitter honey. Full-bodied and rich on the mid-palate, yet still wonderfully light on its feet, finishing with textbook Meursaultien cut and vibrancy. One case per member, please.

In the late fall of 1984, as the dollar hit all-time highs against the French Franc, we booked two round-trip tickets to Paris Orly. Then, believing it was now or never, we did one better, and reserved a table for two at Taillevent, Jean-Claude Vrinat’s three-star restaurant at 15 Rue Lamennais.

As the maitre d’hotel led us to our table, we felt like imposters on a Hollywood set. The Taillevent clientele was dressed to the nines, while we were clad in dated sports coats with frayed lapels and slacks that still bore the creases from the 7-hour flight before.  

While most came to Taillevent for its latest interpretation of nouvelle cuisine, we were far more interested in pursuing Mr. Vrinat’s wine list, said to be the deepest, most thorough, and carefully selected in the world. La Carte des Vins was a thick tome, replete with an exhaustive selection of classified growth Bordeaux, including pages and pages of back vintages of First Growth Château Lafite, Mouton, Haut Brion, and Latour. But as had always been the case since we met on the square of Puligny Montrachet, we passed over the Bordeaux and went right to white Burgundy, and dozens of pages filled with carefully cellared bottles from the greatest estates in the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits.  

Our eyes were like saucers as we scoured back vintages from Leflaive, Lafon, Roulot, Ampeau, Niellon, Sauzet, and Ramonet. But it wouldn’t be long before we realized that even with the dollar at 9.64 to the French Franc, our palates were far more adventurous than our bank accounts.  

The sommelier approached our table, clad in classic black on white, his silver tasting cup draped around his neck. He smiled politely, eyed our frayed lapels, and intuited our predicament. 

“You appear to be white Burgundy connoisseurs. May I suggest something unusual for you to try?”

“Please.”

“Consider the 1978 Macon-Viré from André Bonhomme. It’s the only Chardonnay from the Mâconnais at Taillevent, and we held the wine in our cellar for five years before putting it on the list. It’s magnificent.” Then he stopped, smiled. And winked! “Honestly, it’s like Meursault at one-third the price…only BETTER!”    

That afternoon, the 1978 Domaine André Bonhomme Maçon-Viré set a bar by which we would come to measure all modestly priced white Burgundy. Glistening gold to the rim, infused with aromas of ripe apple, pear, and quince with the estate’s signature hint of bitter honey, despite the richness in the mid-palate, the finish shined a spotlight on the pedigree of those limestone hillsides and meticulously farmed 50-year old Chardonnay vines.  

Courtesy of an introductory phone call from our new sommelier friend, we visited the Bonhomme family in the summer of 1985, and a dozen times thereafter. On each visit, we would head to the cellar around 10 am, not to resurface until well past 1 pm. Tastings began from barrel, before André treated us to a mesmerizing trip back in time, popping corks from bottles that were ten, 20, or 30 years old.  

In 2007, just a couple of years before his grandad passed away, young Aurélien Palthey took control of the vineyards and cellar. Aurélien had worked at his grandfather’s side since he was a teenager, first mastering André’s cellar protocol, and then improving upon it. 

This new release from the superb 2017 vintage takes a page from the script of our lunch at Taillevent thirty-plus years ago—when the sommelier introduced us to a white Burgundy that truly is “like Meursault at one-third the price."