Champagne for Mom: Franck Bonville's Grand Cru Avize Is a Sure Thing
When someone asks me for a Mother's Day Champagne recommendation they can count on, Franck Bonville is the first name out of my mouth. Every Champagne that they make is both elegant and delicious—they are among the most sure-fire hits that we have. Even if your mom is hard to shop for, she is bound to like the combination of lemony zest and toasty richness in these wines. These wines are all Grand Cru, and the family has been making wines in the village of Avize since the 1920s.
Avize Is a Grand Cru Village Worth Knowing
Avize sits in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, about ten miles south of Épernay, on a gently east-facing slope that catches the morning sun and then settles into a cool afternoon — exactly what Chardonnay needs to ripen slowly and hold onto its acidity. The soils here are deep chalk, the kind that drains freely after rain but holds just enough moisture to keep the vines from stressing out in dry summers, and that chalk is what gives Avize Champagnes their signature minerality — that clean, almost electric finish that you don't get anywhere else. The village earned its Grand Cru status under the Champagne classification, which means it sits at the top of a scale that rates villages by the quality of their fruit, and Avize consistently scores at 100%. What that means in practice is that growers here can command the highest prices for their grapes, and the wines that come from them tend to be more concentrated, more precise, and more age-worthy than what you find from lesser-rated villages. Most Champagnes from Avize are Blanc de Blancs—pure Chardonnay—and they tend to run up into the hundreds of dollars for single-vineyard or vintage expressions. For the quality in the glass, Bonville represents one of the better deals in the wine world.
Bonville’s Best Bottles for Mom
The Franck Bonville Unisson Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Champagne $53.99 is one of the easiest-to-drink bottles that we carry, with great chalky verve, delicate brioche, and a dry finish. If your mom is more of a pink Champagne lover, the Franck Bonville Brut Rosé Champagne $59.99 is a great choice. The base, at least 90%, is Grand Cru Chardonnay from their own estate vineyards, but it is blended with a small amount of red Pinot Noir from the Grand Cru of Ambonnay. While the color is deep pink, the wine still stays light and all too easy to drink with fantastic Maraschino cherry notes to go with the generous baguette toast and clean, dry finish.
If you are looking for something truly spectacular for mom this year, the 2017 Franck Bonville "Belles Voyes" Brut Blanc de Blancs Champagne $119.99 is it. This comes from one small vineyard named Belles Voyes on account of the beautiful view that one has of the village below from this site. The Chardonnay vines here were planted in the late 20s or early 30s and yield a wine of exceptional concentration, poise, and elegance. Olivier Bonville does not make it every year, and the 2017 vintage was near perfect for Chardonnay, and the 13 barrels he made are both satisfyingly rich and incredibly long finishing. A toast to mom, and a toast to you!
- Gary Westby, K&L Champagne Buyer