Since 1932, Bonnaire has been based in one of Champagne's finest crus, the village of Cramant, in the northern Côte des Blancs. In the wake of France’s financial crisis of 1929-30, founder Fernand Bouquement decided to stop selling his grapes to the houses and make his own champagne. This decision put him at the forefront of the grower champagne movement we now know. Fernand was joined by his son-in-law, André Bonnaire, after the Second World War. André proved to be passionate about vine growing and passed along his talents to his son, Jean-Louis, who elevated Bonnaire to one of the most renowned houses in the region. For the past decade, the winery has been run by brothers Jean-Emmanuel Bonnaire and Jean-Etienne Bonnaire, who took over for their father after 50 years of stewardship. Today, Champagne Bonnaire spans 13.5 hectares in Cramant, with additional holdings in Chouilly, Oiry, Bergeres les Vertus and Cuis.

While the winery was updated to a modern facility about 25 years ago, the approach to farming and winemaking remains rooted in the traditions passed down through generations. They are HVE certified and began the organic certification process in 2020. The brothers often harvest later than their neighbors, waiting for high levels of ripeness to provide roundness and minimize the need for dosage. Recently, they have been experimenting with grazing pigs, who offer a gentler alternative to mechanical weeding. In the cellar, vinification takes place in thermo-regulated stainless steel tanks and malolactic fermentation almost always occurs, softening the austerity that can result from the region’s chalky soils. The goal is a delectable tension between creamy and chiseled.

“The estate is known best for its creamy, opulent Blanc de Blancs. The vintage-dated Blanc de Blancs is pure Cramant, combining a concentrated ripeness with a racy, vibrant structure that makes it suitable for long aging” – Peter Liem, Champagne, 2017