A.O.C. Bourgogne Tonnerre
Tonnerrois’ white
wines, which were hitherto sold under the generic name of Bourgogne, have today
joined the prestigious range of the distinctive Appellations…. The committee of
National Institute of Origin Appellations (INAO) has in fact validated, on
March 8th, 2006, the project of decree for the controlled origin appellation (A.O.C.) Bourgogne
Tonnerre for the White Wines.
“Bourgogne Tonnerre”
is on all the labels of the Tonnerrois’ white wines, as from the millésime 2006.
The geographic area
of the Bourgogne Tonnerre for white wines gathers six villages of the Tonnerrois
: Tonnerre, Molosmes, Epineuil, Junay, Dannemoine and Vézinnes, that is
to say a total area of 103 planted acres. The Chardonnay is mainly cropped on
the Tonnerre communes (47 acres) and Molosmes (27 acres).
Currently, the whole Tonnerrois vineyard (Chardonnay & Pinot Noir) covers around
240 acres.
The Tonnerrois
terroirs are excellent for the vine agriculture as they combine a good exposure,
with appropriate sloped hillsides and an argilo-calcareous soil. The calcareous
underground of the Kimméridgian era allows the wine to take root in depth up to
20 meters, thus providing an optimal expression of a Terroir…
The hillside exposure is remarkable ; the slopes are favorable to a good
sunshine and a proper soil drying out.
A.O.C. Bourgogne Epineuil
Epineuil is
the first village of the Tonnerrois which revived the vine as from 1975, and was
awarded for its qualitative efforts by obtaining in July 1993, the appellation
of “Bourgogne Epineuil” for the red, white and rosé wines.
