PIERRE OLIVIER BONHOMME
Pierre Olivier Bonhomme started as an apprentice at Clos du Tue-Boeuf with Thierry Puzelat and his brother Jean Marie Puzelat. Recognizing Pierre Olivier's talent through the years, Thierry ventured into a négoce business with Pierre Olivier under the label Puzelat-Bonhomme. They source the grapes and rent the vineyards from their friends. All the vines are grown organically. With Jean Marie Puzelat retiring in 2014, Thierry Puzelat is full time at the family domain Clos du Tue-Boeuf and Pierre Olivier Bonhomme is now the sole owner of Puzelat-Bonhomme. Hence, the name change from Puzelat-Bonhomme to Pierre Olivier Bonhomme starting 2014. The friendship they forged over the years remains the same. They often share farming equipment and taste together. When I visit Pierre-Olivier Bonhomme, Thierry Puzelat often joins us for a tasting.
LE TELQUEL
This wine a blend of Gamay, Côt and sometimes Grolleau and/or Pineau D'Aunis. It depends on a vintage. Medium body and full of charm and perfume. Best slightly chilled. This wine is raised in neutral barrels for about 4 to 6 months.
IN CÔT WE TRUST
Côt, also known as Malbec, has been grown in the Loire for centuries. The cool climate and clay terroir give this wine electrifying freshness. Fermented with stems, this wine takes on stunning nose. This is the only wine Pierre Olivier Bonhomme makes without adding any sulphur. Addition of sulphur diminishes the fragrance of Côt. Best to keep this wine cool.
TOURAINE SAUVIGNON
Made from 100% Sauvginon Blanc. Hand-harvested grapes are fermented using natural yeast as with all of the wines. The wine spends time in stainless steel to keep freshness. The wine is bottles in spring following the vintage.
TOURAINE PINOT NOIR
From the vines grown on the terraces of Cher River. Harvest is manual. Fermented with stems and raised in neutral barrels for about a year. A wine of supreme elegance. There is something magical about a great Pinot Noir from Loire.
TOURAINE LA TESNIÈRE PINEAU D'AUNIS
Made from the Pineau D'Aunis vines grown on the limestone slope in the village of La Pouillé. Pineau D'Aunis is a disappearing varietal in the Loire. The variety is difficult to grow with wild swings of yields, which makes economic viability challenging. Only dedicated producers are willing to grow Pineau D'Aunis and for a good reason. The varietal gives very perfumed wine with light seductive body.
VERCHENY
Made from 100% Pinot Noir in the Cheverny appellation near the village of Blois. Hand-harvested grapes are fermented traditionally with stems and raised in neural barrels for six to eight months. By the Cheverny appellation rules, a red must be a blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay. This particular site is best expressed with Pinot Noir. Since this wine is 100% Pinot Noir, it cannot be labelled Cheverny. The name Vercheny is a play on words of Cheverny. There is Cheverny in Vercheny.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Region: Loire
Appellations: Touraine, Cheverny
Size: 6 hectares
Viticulture: Organic, not certified
Producer Facebook: Pierre Olivier Bonhomme
LABELS
Region: Loire
Appellations: Touraine, Cheverny
Size: 6 hectares
Viticulture: Organic, not certified
Producer Facebook: Pierre Olivier Bonhomme
LABELS
Not current vintages. Shown for sample purposes only.
