2015 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape ‘Réserve des Celestines’

The late Henri Bonneau (1938-2016) is one of the true legends of Châteauneuf du Pape. He is the 12th generation of Bonneaus to produce wine in Châteauneuf and is now aided in the cellars by his son, Marcel. Henri has 6 hectares of vineyards, split between 5.25ha in La Crau (arguably Châteauneuf’s finest terroir) and 0.75ha on stonier soil near Couthézon in the northeast of the appellation.

His wines are produced predominantly from Grenache(80-90%) with small quantities of Mourvèdre, Counoise and Vaccarèse. Henri harvests as late as possible, a policy that usually produces super-ripe fruit although sometimes he does get caught out by October rains. Yields are kept low and vinification and elevage are traditional with the use of wooden foudres and smaller oak barrels. Typically the wine is aged in oak for 3-4 years before being bottled unfiltered. His top cuvée, Réserve des Celestins displays intensely concentrated black fruit and is without question one of the finest of all Châteauneufs.