Henri Bonneau

Henri Bonneau (1938-2016) was 12th generation of a family of wine growers. He made his first vintage in 1956. His domaine covers only 6.5 ha., mainly planted with Grenache that counts for about 90% of the blend added with small amounts of Mourvèdre, Counoise and Vaccarèse. He feels Syrah is not suited to Châteauneuf-du-Pape and he also distrusts new clones and does not like vines that are over 50 years old finding 30 to 50 years to be ideal.

Up to 5 different red wines are produced here depending on the vintage and the evolution of the wines.  His decision about cuvées is taken several years after the harvest - just before bottling. The blend of the four cuvées and the treatment in the cellars are not differing. With 13 different plots the largest is situated in La Crau with another situated in Grand Pierre beside Rayas and it's probably from these vineyards the best cuvées are selected. Bonneau also has 3.5 ha of vines west of the Rhone in the Gard which goes to make his similarly styled vin de table Les Rouliers which is usually a blend of 2 vintages and which can also contain some de-classified Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

The vinification and ageing of the wines is in fact very simple. When the fermentation in cement tanks is finished the wine goes into a mixture of foudres, demi-muids and small old barrels from Burgundy. Here it stays until Bonneau finds it ready to be bottled - maybe after 6, 8 or 10 years. The grapes are rarely de-stemmed and the wines are fined with egg whites before bottling. Henri Bonneau's ageing cellars are from the 17th century and are legendary. You can't find a barrel there less than 10 years old and most of them are very ancient. When you walk around these tiny cellars you feel you are visiting a museum. This is classic, old-style Châteauneuf-du-Pape made as it was several hundred years ago.

What is the secret? ‘There are no secrets’, says Bonneau, but yields are very low, about 10-12 hl./ha. Harvesting is typically very late. The maceration is not exaggerated. Maybe the explanation is that simple? When asked if there were any secrets or manipulations in the cellar he simply shrugged and replied ‘No - besides I need time to go fishing’.

Les Rouliers Vin de France
Made from a vineyard worked by Henri’s son, Marcel, in the Gard (west of Châteauneuf on the western side of the Rhône River) and so sometimes contains declassified Châteauneuf from his own vineyards. Has all the hallmarks of a great Châteauneuf with astonishing freshness, depth and complexity with a floral spice lift that belies its age. This is a wine that most Châteauneuf producers would be happy to their 'regular' Châteauneuf, however this is anything but 'regular'.

Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape
‘In many ways, the regular bottling from Henri Bonneau is perhaps my favorite … It is a great example of Châteauneuf du Pape in my book, and a wine that is of great worth to search out and secure whenever it pops up, as it drinks decidedly sooner than the top two Bonneau bottlings (usually coming into full bloom about eight years out from the vintage), but ages very gracefully.’ John Gilman, A View From The Cellar.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Marie Beurrier
’Monsieur Bonneau’s Cuvée Marie Beurrier bottling is a decidedly deeper and more powerful wine than his regular Châteauneuf du Pape, and plays the role of La Tâche in the Bonneau cellars to his Réserve des Célestins’ Romanée-Conti (of course within the strapping and powerful idiom of Châteauneuf). To my palate this is the most classic expression of Châteauneuf du Pape magic in the Bonneau cellars.’ John Gilman, A View From The Cellar.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Celestins
’Henri Bonneau’s Réserve des Célestins is his greatest wine, and unequivocally the single greatest wine made in Châteauneuf du Pape today. In the old days it had its rivals, when Jacques Reynaud still was alive and making his magical elixirs at Château Rayas, or when Château de Beaucastel, Vieux Telegraphe, Château Fortia or Château la Nerthe were experiencing their salad days of greatest achievement. But today the Bonneau Réserve des Célestins sits alone at the summit, a lonely beacon of brilliant terroir and impeccable winemaking.’ John Gilman, A View From The Cellar.

NEW RELEASES 2024

NV Les Rouliers Vin de France - due July 2024

2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Henri Bonneau - very limited
Bright limip colour with excellent clarity this shows the freshness of 2018 with lifted aromas together with the finesse and pot pourri aromas of Grenache grown on sand on in La Crau. Elegant with fine tannins and enough grip and substance to match with poultry or even river fish. Very approachable and finely structured and giving great pleasure already on release.

2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Henri Bonneau - very limited
This is the first vintage of this cuvee which is the classic cuvée of Châteauneuf-du-Pape made from a blend of terroirs including La Crau - now renamed to honour Henri himself. From the richer warmer more structured 2017 vintage this still shows finesse from the superbly sited heart of La Crau. Fine and long yet surprisingly deep and substantial. Can age effortlessly.

2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Marie Beurrier - very limited
'The radiant 2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Marie Beurrier presents a dazzling aromatic profile that frames melted licorice, pressed rose petal, cured meat, black cherry compote and garrigue. A dash of white pepper and leafy gradations add more complexity. Touching the palate with sweet-tasting fruit enveloped by velvety tannins, the 2018 is a layered and full-bodied Marie Beurrier with excellent drive through the mid-palate. The one thing that prevents it from scoring higher is a clipped finish that cannot quite keep up with the wine’s other attributes.'
93+ points, Nicholas Greinacher, Vinous, June 2024.

2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Celestins - very limited
'The pale- to medium-ruby-colored 2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins is a total knockout with a wildly complex aromatic profile of dried lavender, menthol, melted licorice, beef blood, cured meat and leafy nuances. Offering more substance and ambition than the Marie Beurrier from the same vintage, the full-bodied 2018 Réserve des Célestins shows striking verticality on both nose and palate. Built for the long-haul and remarkably persistent on the finish, it deserves a round of applause.' 96 points, Nicholas Greinacher, Vinous, June 2024.

2017 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Celestins - very limited

2004 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Celestins (last bottles)
'Classic Bonneau with its knockout perfume of sweet kirsch, blackberry, saddle leather and roasted herbs, the 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins is medium to full-bodied, supple and elegant, with fine, sweet tannin on the finish. Showing more depth and richness than just about any other wine in the vintage, with a fantastic mix of aromatic complexity and textural richness on the palate, it's drinking beautifully now, and should continue to shine for another decade.' 95 points, Jeb Dunnuck, The Wine Advocate, February 2014.