Bonnet-Cotton

 

After working for a short stint as a motorcycle mechanic, in 2014, Pierre Cotton reclaimed one hectare of Côte de Brouilly from his family to make his first cuvée called ‘100% Cotton.’ Inspired by tasting wines with young Beaujolais compatriots Yann Bertrand, Jules Metras, and Keke Descombes, Pierre’s wines are all farmed organically and vinified with precious little sulfur (if any at all – some cuvées are without any – and never more than 10g/l). Following the success of his first wine, Pierre fully took over the family domaine in 2015. Now, Pierre has expanded the breadth of the winery’s vision and focus with input from his partner, Marine Bonnet, who officially joined the domaine in 2020, resulting in the domaine’s name change to Bonnet-Cotton. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marine Bonnet is an agronomist specialized in viticulture, and together the duo are implementing many changes throughout their jointly held vineyards: in 2021, they planted 500 trees throughout their parcels in Brouilly, in an effort to recreate lost habitat for animals in the vineyards, particularly between the streams at lower elevations and the copses of woods at the peak of each Beaujolais cru, which are usually hilltops. Marine also has guided this implementation of further interplanting of specific tree species in an effort to stave off the intense droughts Beaujolais has endured via the water retention trees can provide, as well as adding shade and decreasing overall temperatures in the vineyards. Pierre and Marine have also been speaking with neighbors in Brouilly and other villages to join in these changes, potentially contributing to a communal ecological effort against climate change and some of the disastrous vintages growers in the region have suffered in the last five years. In addition, Marine and Pierre are managing the domaine’s winemaking together as of the last two years, and they’ve added the very first Bonnet-Cotton baby as well as of fall 2021.

 

All of the wines at Bonnet-Cotton are vinified with native yeast and without SO2 in concrete tanks, then aged underground in century-old large foudres. (These were originally built for holding beer and then repurposed in the 1950s and 60s.) The foudres in which the wines rest range in size from 1400 – 4800L. Winemaking style is typically partial carbonic maceration; Pierre and Marine will use a touch of SO2 (max 10g/l) before bottling if they sense that an entire foudre is anything less than perfect. Most cuvées receive no sulfur additions as long as there isn’t need; the practice is very dependent on vintage and specific barrel. Overall, these are structured Brouilly wines that represent both the strength of the cru but also the freshness and liveliness of the producer—not nearly as dark and black as this southerly village of Odénas might provide. We admire the vitality and depth of the Bonnet-Cotton wines after just eight or so years, but we expect them only to improve as the farming and viticulture takes off in the future!

 


Wines

Beaujolais

Varietal: Gamay

Color: Red

Farming Practice: Organic

Organic. 100% Gamay. Hailing from a single vineyard called the ‘Commune de Charentais,’ this pure Gamay comes from a mix of clay-limestone and sandy granite soils. Full carbonic maceration of whole clusters in cement tank; then aged in foudre for nine months. Unfined, unfiltered. <10g/l SO2 added before bottling.

Brouilly ‘100% Cotton ‘Bonnege’

Varietal: Gamay

Color: Red

Farming Practice: Certified Organic

Certified Organic. 100% Gamay. Typically, the Bonnet-Cotton domaine only produces one wine from Brouilly—‘100% Cotton,’ which is a blend of two parcels, “Les Mines” and “Bonnège.” In 2020, Pierre and Marine decided to make two separate cuvées, as it’s the last year they’ll be able to harvest grapes from the Bonnege parcel: their family leased this parcel for two generations, but it was recently sold and reclaimed by the new owner. Because these ephemeral cuvées will only exist for this vintage, Pierre and Marine decided to use the ‘100% Cotton’ labels, so the designation will only be on the back label. ‘Bonnège’ as a lieu-dit is around 2ha, with loamy and pink granite soil and sand at the bottom of its slope. Full carbonic maceration of whole clusters in cement tank, then aged in foudre for nine months. Unfined, unfiltered. <10g/l SO2 added before bottling.

Brouilly ‘100% Cotton ‘Les Mines’

Varietal: Gamay

Color: Red

Farming Practice: Certified Organic

Certified Organic. 100% Gamay. Vineyard: Les Mines. Vine Age: planted in 1960s-70s. Size: 1.5 ha. Soil: pink granite. Spontaneous fermentation with whole clusters carbonic maceration in concrete. Ageing in wooden Certified Organic. 100% Gamay. Typically, the Bonnet-Cotton domaine only produces one wine from Brouilly—‘100% Cotton,’ which is a blend of two parcels, “Les Mines” and “Bonnège.” In 2020, Pierre and Marine decided to make two separate cuvées, as it’s the last year they’ll be able to harvest grapes from the Bonnège parcel: their family leased this parcel for two generations, but it was recently sold and reclaimed by the new owner. Because these ephemeral cuvées will only exist for this vintage, Pierre and Marine decided to use the ‘100% Cotton’ labels, so the designation will only be on the back label. ‘Les Mines’ as a lieu-dit is 1.5ha, with vines planted in the 1950s and ’60s on fully pink granite soils. Full carbonic maceration of whole clusters in cement tank, then aged in foudre for nine months. Unfined, unfiltered. No SO2 added. This will be the lieu-dit from which their Brouilly ‘100% Cotton’ will continue to be produced at the domaine for 2021 and onward.

Cote de Brouilly ‘100% Cotton’

Varietal: Gamay

Color: Red

Farming Practice: Certified Organic

Certified Organic. 100% Gamay. Located right next to the Bonnet-Cotton winery in Odénas, Cotton’s parcel of Côte de Brouilly is on a unique terroir of ‘corne verte,’ a particular soil blend of pink granite and diorite which Pierre claims is found nowhere else in the Beaujolais. The Côte de Brouilly ‘100% Cotton’ was the first cuvée Pierre made, and it remains the emblematic wine of the domaine: a structured, powerful Gamay that retains the freshness and easy-drinking quality of the best Beaujolais. Full carbonic maceration of whole clusters in cement tank, then aged in foudre for nine months. Unfined, unfiltered. <10g/l SO2 added before bottling.

Cote de Brouilly ‘Les Grilles’

Varietal: Gamay

Color: Red

Farming Practice: Certified Organic

Certified Organic. 100% Gamay. The special combination of pink, yellow, and red granite is only found in this 1.5ha vineyard called Les Grillés, or The Grids—the name refers to the various blocks or striations of granite in this parcel, which is located on the slope just next to the winery in Odénas. Les Grillés was the first single-vineyard parcel Cotton produced; it’s often the richest wine each year. Full carbonic maceration of whole clusters in cement tank, then aged in foudre for eleven months. Unfined, unfiltered. Zero SO2 added.

Fleurie ‘Poncie’

Varietal: Gamay

Color: Red

Farming Practice: Certified Organic

Certified Organic. 100% Gamay. Fleurie ‘Poncié’ comes from a beautiful old Gamay vineyard, planted in the ’60s and ’70s, facing south towards the village of Fleurie. The parcel is vinified exactly the same as Cotton’s other wines, showcasing the difference between his native terroir of Brouilly and the softer, more fruited wines from Fleurie. Less tannic than the other bottlings and an interesting interpretation of the Bonnet-Cotton style. Full carbonic maceration of whole clusters in cement tank, then aged in foudre for nine months. Unfined, unfiltered. <10g/l SO2 added before bottling.

Gamay Vin de France ‘Ygueule’

Varietal: Gamay

Color: Red

Farming Practice: Certified Organic

Certified Organic. 100% Gamay. The most playful wine at the Bonnet-Cotton domaine; ‘Ygueule’ is a medieval French word for something like ‘gullet.’ They mean for this wine to be drank young and easily! . Full carbonic maceration of whole clusters in cement tank; then aged in those same for around eight months. Unfined, unfiltered. <10g/l SO2 added before bottling.

Regnie ‘Les Buillats’

Varietal: Gamay

Color: Red

Farming Practice: Certified Organic

Certified Organic. 100% Gamay. A terrific old-vines vineyard hailing from the cru of Régnié; vines here were planted in three moments, between 1927, the 1940s, and the ’90s. Here the soils are yellow granite with some sand, and the vineyard is only .8ha in size. Another great terroir comparison, with the vinification remaining the same, and only the cru and soil types making the difference. Full carbonic maceration of whole clusters in cement tank, then aged in foudre for six months. Unfined, unfiltered. <10g/l SO2 added before bottling.

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