Wine Advisor
Henri Bonneau, Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins 2012
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Joe Czerwinski
According to Marcel Bonneau on this visit, all of the 2012 wine will be bottled as Reserve des Celestins. Tasted from barrel, the 2012 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins flirts with that fine line between deep, chocolaty richness and raisiny over-ripeness. This is full-bodied and powerful but silky at the same time. If it's bottled soon, it should be amazing.
Reviewed by: Jeb Dunnuck
The barrels tagged for the 2012 Châteauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins are beautiful, and while they show the suppleness and approachable nature of the vintage, they have impressive power and structure. Pepper, blackberries, fruitcake and exotic spice notes all flow to a full-bodied wine that shows the richness and power imparted by this rocky terroir. The tannin quality is first rate, and while it will be an approachable vintage for this cuvée, my money is on it aging well also.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Deep ruby. Highly perfumed aromas of cherry compote, blueberry, anise and smoky herbs, with a suave potpourri flourish adding complexity. Juicy, expansive and concentrated, offering intense, spice-accented black and blue fruit flavors and a touch of floral pastilles. Fine-grained tannins build slowly on the very long, focused finish, which leaves a sexy lavender note behind.
Reviewed by: Josh Raynolds
Full ruby. Heady black and blue fruit aromas are lifted by smoky mineral and exotic Indian spice nuances. Offers deep, palate-staining blueberry and floral pastille flavors that pick up spiciness and energy with air. Closes smooth and long, with outstanding thrust and velvety tannins.
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.
