Wine Advisor
Henri Bonneau, Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins 1989
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Formidable from foudre and barrel, this wine has been closed since bottling. An opaque prune/purple color is followed by a wine with a huge, weighty feel in the mouth, enormous concentration (truffle-infused beef blood, cherries, and black fruits), mouth-searing levels of tannin, and a structured, tight-fisted personality. Cellar it for at least another decade as it is not yet enjoyable. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2040
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
If the 1990 is close to perfection, the 1989, 1988, and 1986 are hardly far behind. Both the 1988 and 1989 have closed down since I first tasted them. They require another 5-7 years of cellaring. They are huge, animalistic, prodigious Chateauneuf du Papes, with great balance, purity, and character. The 1989 is the more massive of the two vintages, but it, like many Chateauneuf du Papes of this vintage, is quite backward. The 1988 is also very tight. Both wines should receive the benefit of another 5-10 years of cellaring. They will last and evolve for another 20-30+ years. What magnificent treasures they will be! Thank the fates that the wine world has Henri Bonneau. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1989 has closed down since I first tasted it. Dark ruby/purple-colored, this wine is a huge, animalistic, prodigious Chateauneuf du Pape, with great balance, purity, and character. The massive 1989 is oozing with extract, glycerin, and personality, but like many Chateauneuf du Papes of this vintage, it is quite backward. It will benefit from another 5-10 years of cellaring. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2025. Last tasted 8/96.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
No tasting note.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The just released 1989 Cuvee des Celestins is an extraordinary Chateauneuf du Pape, with a degree of richness and dimension of flavor that are hard to achieve. The color is opaque black/plum-like and the backward, unevolved nose offers exciting scents of Provencal herbs, black olives, truffle-scented cassis, smoke, and minerals. In the mouth, this mammoth wine reveals phenomenal extraction of flavor, huge body, and massive length. The balance is nearly perfect and the tannins, while high, are sweet and ripe. This should prove to be an immortal Chateauneuf du Pape, hitting its peak in the late nineties and lasting through the first two decades of the next century . This is the wine of a genius. Importer: Wines of France - an Alain Junguenet Selection, Mountainside, NJ.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Inching closer and closer to the celestial 1990, is the 1989. This cuvee was fabulous when tasted in Bonneau’s cellars, but it closed down after bottling. Possibly even more powerful and tannic than the 1990, as well as more backward, the 1989 looks to be a great classic. It is a Reserve des Celestins to forget for another 3-8 years. It possesses all the characteristics of the 1990, but everything is packed into a more linear personality. Amazing stuff! Anticipated maturity: 2009-2035. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173
About the Producer
Domaine Henri Bonneau's reputation is as legendary as its owner, Henri Bonneau. Its rustic home in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation in the Rhone Valley is situated at the end of a village, its cellars overflowing with large and small aged oak barrels and its stone walls covered in potholes. Dirty cellars, old mouldy barrels, all these conditions are a winemaker's nightmare. But it was here that the Chateauneuf-du-Pape Reserve des Celestins was made, which has been praised by wine drinkers all over the world; it was here that Bonneau brewed his philosophy of a happy nature into the aromas of his wine; it was here that Bonneau brewed the treasures from the La Crau plateau. It is here that Bonneau has turned the treasures of La Crau into an exceptional wine. Henri Bonneau himself determines each speciality, which is graded according to its quality: Henri Bonneau, Marie Beurrier, Reserve des Celestins and Cuvee Speciale, which may be just one of the four or all four. But no matter how they are blended, the winemaking is the same. What also makes Château Henri Bonnot unique is the ageing of the barrels, which come from the Burgundy region and date back to the 17th century. A visit to Henri's cellars is therefore like walking into a museum. The wines produced here are usually aged for more than six years before being bottled unfiltered after Bonnot himself has tasted them. The result is a wine with a powerful bouquet, balanced flavours and a long finish, particularly in the case of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Célestins Reserve red wine, of which around 1,500 cases are produced each year. The best vintages of Château Henri Bonnot have the distinctive taste of concentrated bovine blood, powerfully combined with a thick and viscous texture. The best recent vintages are the 2003, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1995, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1986, 1985 and 1981.
