Champagne Bonnet-Ponson, “Petit Melange” Online

Champagne Bonnet-Ponson, “Petit Melange”

Here it is. One of the most limited, rare, and singular cuvées in all of Champagne. Expertly sourced from organically farmed vines throughout the Premier Cru villages of Chamery, Vrigny, and Coulommes, Cyril Bonnet has combined all seven authorized grapes of Champagne for his spellbinding “Petit Melange.” Because the fruit was so limited, Bonnet fused both the 2018 and 2019 vintages for this cuvée. All the grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Meunier, Chardonnay, Petit Meslier, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Arbane) were vinified together, naturally, in a single sandstone egg. After two years of sur lie aging, the wine was disgorged in the Spring of 2022 without any sulfur or sugar. Only 900 bottles were produced. 

I loved this wine, but that doesn’t make it any easier to describe. It’s a truly unique creation that few have experienced, ever. Although it reminded me of Benoît Lahaye’s “Le Jardin de la Grosse Pierre,” which also utilizes all seven grapes of Champagne, it still retained an identity of its own. After giving it some time to unwind, I discover aromas and flavors of dried herbs, white peach, toasted nuts, grapefruit zest, galangal, and green pear with an underlying oyster-shell saltiness. I suggest enjoying this uniquity over several hours, if not several days.