The name of Bonnes Mares remains a puzzle. Is it a reminder of mother goddesses? An antique bas-relief illustrating this divine threesome, protecting motherhood, life and earthly fruit, was purportedly discovered on the site but is now lost. The idea sounds implausible, no better than the suggestion that it is a corruption of “bonnes mères”, good mothers. What is certain is that the vineyard was created by the Bernardine Sisters of Notre-Dame de Tart (between
It seems more likely that the name comes from the old French and Burgundian word marer (to cultivate). The Bonnes Mares, then, are well maintained vines, lovingly cared for. They are certainly worth the effort!
Les Bonnes Mares has never been a monopole enclosure, simply a jointly-held climat. Until the Revolution, the owners were mostly religious communities, noble and bourgeois families who left their mark on history, many of which have streets named after them in