Bonneau du Martray

Bonneau du Martray is one of Burgundy's most coveted producers. The vineyards were planted around 800 BC and belonged to Saulieu Abbey until 1835. Then the vineyards were split up and sold. Some 30% of these prestigious plots came into the hands of Simon Very. His daughter Marie-Eugénie married Charles Bonneau du Martray, progeny of Nicolas Rolin, who founded the famous Hospices de Beaune. The dowry involved some 24 hectares of vineyards in Aloxe-Corton, Volnay and Pernand-Vergelesses. And so Domaine du Martray was born!

Marie and Charles' son (Marie-Eugène Bonneau du Martray) managed to keep the winery afloat during the hard times of the wars and the phylloxera plague. For a few years he worked with his own son René, but then the winery was gifted to their niece Alice Colonna de Giovelina and her husband Jean le Bault de la Morinière. Jean previously worked as a successful architect. Therefore, renovating the cellar could not be left out. He also planted new vines, reduced yields and was one of the first to introduce temperature control. With all these adjustments, he managed to increase quality considerably and ensured that the wines gained worldwide recognition. In 1994, his son Jean-Charles joined the company. He started implementing organic viticulture and in 2004 he took the first steps towards biodynamic practices. In 2017, the estate was taken over by American Stanley Kroenke, who owns the legendary wineries Screaming Eagle, Jonata and The Hilt in addition to Bonneau du Martray.

Although the property once had 24 hectares, that number has shrunk to 11, of which 9.5 hectares consist of chardonnay (Corton-Charlemagne) and 1.5 hectares of pinot noir (Corton). Of the total, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti leases 2.8 ha of Corton-Charlemagne since 2018.

The winery produces two Grand Cru wines: Corton and Corton-Charlemagne. After the manual harvest and rigorous selection, the bunches are fermented in barrels of partly new oak. This is followed by sur lie maturation and wood ageing. The latter lasts an average of 12 months. The Corton then matures for a further six months in stainless steel tanks. The two Grand Cru are of exceptional quality and are among the best wines in the world.