Franck Bonville

The history

Alfred Bonville began purchasing vineyards in the early 20th century, just a few years after phylloxera had devastated the region. His criteria were practical rather than romantic: the vineyards had to be within a few hours' ride on horseback from his home.

In the 1930s, it was difficult to make a living from grape sales alone. So, in 1936, Alfred and his son Franck purchased a winemaker's house in the heart of Avize; this acquisition marked the true beginning of Champagne Franck Bonville's transformation from a mere supplier into a producer. Even after the war ended, the wine produced in Avize was still sold to négociants.

After studying viticulture and obtaining a state-certified degree in winemaking, Olivier Bonville returned to this winery in 1997. Avize is his hometown; Oger is the ancestral home of the Bonvilles family; and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger is where he and his father, Gilles, expanded the vineyards in the 2000s.

Ferdinand Ruelle-Dudel joined the winery in 2020. Prior to that, he trained as an aerospace engineer and traveled to wine regions around the world. In Champagne, it is not uncommon for two people to jointly manage a vineyard, and the division of roles here focuses more on tasting each plot together year by year than on formal titles.

Eighty-plus parcels, four villages

Franck Bonville cultivates more than 80 individual plots of land located in Côte and Blancs; these plots are spread across Cramant, Avize, Oger, and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger. Olivier Bonville drew a map of these parcels by hand, which gives some insight into how the farm is operated.

Avize accounts for the largest portion at 6 ha 32 ca, and these parcels are not clustered into a single block but are scattered throughout the entire village cadastral map. The lieux-dits on the mid-slope include Les Champs Armés, Les Chênes, Le Petit Pont, Les Maladries du Nord, Les Pierre Vaudon, Les Avats, and Les Chantraines. To the south of the village, toward Oger, lie La Noue du Porchet and Les Chapelles.

Cramant covers 2 ha 26 ca. However, the winery makes it clear that these vines are not part of the core Cramant plot. These vines are located in plots adjacent to Avize and Cramant, that is, midway up the slope and at the foot of the hill, and are set apart from the steeper, more rugged terrain found deeper within the village. La Noue de Génie, Chemin de Chalons, and Les Bergeries au Couchant are the main vineyards.

Oger and Le Mesnil-sur-Oger round out the overall layout, with the latter being a relatively recent addition to the family-owned vineyards.

The terroir

Côte des Blancs is a cuesta facing east and southeast, where the Campanian chalk is exposed at the surface.  A closer look at the slope reveals a complex mix of exposure conditions, chalk depth, and microclimate zones, and Franck Bonville focuses its farming operations precisely in this area.

In the case of Avize, in the vineyards in the middle of the slope the chalk lies relatively close to the surface, and the wine produced here exhibits citrus and floral fruit flavors, a salty note, and a clean, straightforward palate. Even within the village, the degree of ripening is not uniform. The southern parcels heading toward Oger tend to reach a more complete stage of ripening than those located on the opposite side of Avize.

Cramant presents a different picture. While there is still chalk beneath the boundary plots, deposits tens of centimeters thick, including valley floor sediments, clay, sand, and silt that have flowed down the slopes, may have accumulated on top of it.

The selection of rootstocks and clones here was determined based on the experience gained by previous generations of the family in this very vineyard. As Ferdinand Ruelle-Dudel noted, geological conditions, vineyard management, and human decisions are, in fact, inseparable.

One grape, no exceptions

At Franck Bonville only a single variety is grown in this vineyards.

Chardonnay, 100%, across all 80-plus plots

That is why every cuvée in this lineup bears the label Blanc de Blancs, except for one rosé which is made from bought grapes. There is no Pinot Noir, no Meunier, no Blanc de Noirs. Harvest decisions also follow the same logic. Rather than seeking high acidity, this winery sends the fruit to the press once the phenolic compounds have fully ripened; it considers this level of ripeness a key factor in producing excellent vintages, rather than an exception.

Winemaking

At Franck Bonville, most of the alcoholic fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks; the winery clearly states that stainless steel tanks currently make up the majority of its fermentation vessels and that this is part of its distinctive style. Malolactic fermentation is systematically carried out for all wines. Since the Chardonnay grown in these chalky soils already possesses fresh flavors on its own, malolactic fermentation is used to enhance the flavor rather than to correct any flaws.

Oak barrels still play a role, but that role is highly specialized. Some wines are fermented and aged in 228-liter barrels and 600-liter demi-muids; these vessels are used for the base wines for tirage and dosage liqueurs, as well as for certain reserve wines. Although the volume is small, the impact is significant. These liqueurs are added during the bottling and dégorgement stages, which means that the oak aroma subtly emerges in the finished cuvée without ever taking center stage.

Next comes the passage of time. The aging period on the lees varies from 2 to 8 years depending on the wine; for cuvées such as Unisson, 4 to 5 years of aging on the lees develops the creamy, savory flavor profile that this house strives for.

From village blend to Grand Cru

Franck Bonville's lineup follows a fairly clear structure. It consists first of blended wines, followed by vintage wines, and then wines from individual vineyards and villages.

Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs is a blend of grapes from the most recent harvest and reserve wine, harmonizing the intensity of young fruit with the depth provided by the reserve wine. There is also Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru, for those who prefer a lower dosage, and Unisson, which is blended primarily around the extended lees aging described earlier.

Les Belles Voyes is a single-vineyard wine. Millésime is a vintage bottling, produced only when the vintage proves worthy; it is designed to be a slow and unhurried wine, reflecting the slow, delicate evolution of Chardonnay.

And the trilogy: Pur Avize, Pur Oger, and Pur Mesnil. Three villages, with a small number of carefully selected vineyards from each village bottled separately, focusing on the differences themselves as the core of the wines. Same grape, same craftsmanship, three villages.

• Brut Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs
• Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
• Brut Les Belles Voyes Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
• Millésime Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru
• Pur Avize, Pur Oger, and Pur Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru