Wine Advisor
Henri Bonneau, Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins 2008
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
Reminding me of the 1992 and a resounding success in the vintage, The 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins is a seamless, elegant and beautifully complex effort that’s worth seeking out. Offering up notions of sandalwood, sweet cherries, pepper and exotic spice, it is medium-bodied, elegant and silky on the palate. Finesse-driven, with terrific complexity and nuance, this beauty is already accessible and a joy to drink. Enjoy it over the coming decade or more. A great, and eye opening, visit that goes to show that sanitation might not be everything when it comes to winemaking, Henri Bonneau’s cellar is as incredibly humid, dirty and packed a cellar as I’ve ever seen. (In comparison, Rayas, which would give some Central Coast winemakers a heart attack, seems as sanitary as the International Space Station.) Nevertheless, Bonneau portrays a zest for life and the sweet nectar that comes out of the barrels could come from nowhere else. It’s also times like that when you realize how lucky we are, as wine lovers today, to have the access to a gentleman like Henri Bonneau and to be able to taste his wines. They won’t exist forever. During the visit, we went through every vintage back to 2005, however, due to the incredible time in barrel prior to bottling (some wines spend upward of 5 years in barrel), I question the correlation to what I tasted to what will actually end up in barrel (or the use of reviewing 2012s and 2011s now, when they won’t be released for years). As such, I’ve opted to just review the 2009s, 2008 (which is in bottle), the 2007 (which, based on my tasting, could be bottled tomorrow and be fabulous) and the 2006, which I reviewed last year for the Rhone Report. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Deep ruby. High-pitched aromas of red berry liqueur, cherry pit, lavender and allspice, with a zesty mineral nuance adding vivacity. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering vibrant black raspberry and floral pastille flavors that become richer and spicier with aeration. Silky tannins give shape to the strikingly persistent finish, which features sappy dark berry and fruitcake qualities.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Bright ruby. Aromas and flavors of blackberry and cassis, with a smoky nuance and intense spiciness. Aeration brings out musky licorice and herb notes as well as a brighter cherry quality. Shows very good energy on the finish, which leaves juicy blue fruit notes behind.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Ruby-red. Vibrant aromas of blueberry, black raspberry and minerals, with licorice and black tea notes in the background. Sweet, fat and chewy, with firm acidity framing the flavors of blackcurrant, minerals and candied violet. Finishes with dusty tannins and a note of smoky herbs.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Ruby-red. Vibrant aromas of blueberry, black raspberry and minerals, with licorice and black tea notes in the background. Sweet, fat and chewy, with firm acidity framing the flavors of blackcurrant, minerals and candied violet. Finishes with dusty tannins and a note of smoky herbs.
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.
