2011 Henri Bonneau Chateauneuf-du-Pape Reserve des Celestins #157619237
Reviews "The 2011 Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve Celestins is a head turner that’s showing just as beautifully as last year. Full-bodied, sweetly fruited, layered and sexy on the palate, with good concentration, it’s almost overflowing with notions of Provencal garrigue, saddle leather, peppery herbs and sweet fruit. It’s a terrific 2011 to drink anytime over the coming 15 years or so. (JD)" 93-95 points Vinous "Bright ruby-red. Far more expressive than the Marie Beurrier, displaying a wild array of candied red fruits, flowers and Asian spices, along with an intense mineral overtone. Silky, sweet and pure on the palate, offering intense raspberry preserve and spicecake flavors and a jolt of lavender pastille. Closes long and sweet, with building spiciness and smooth, harmonious tannins that sneak up late. (JR)"
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About Henri Bonneau
Currently, Marcel Bonneau, the son of Henri, is in charge of the family estate, which is planted to approximately 90% Grenache and the rest to Mourvedre, Syrah, Vaccarese, and Counoise. Marcel continues his father's low-intervention winemaking, or what Robert Parker called “everything against modernism.” They age each wine for 3-5 years (sometimes longer) in barrels ranging from 10-100 years old in an ancient cellar that’s been compared to a bat cave. A quintessential bottle of Bonneau will have purity of fruit, impressive length, and beautiful texture.
Henri Bonneau is revered like no other producer in the village, and the premium bottling, Reserve des Celestins, is often referred to as “mythic,” and one of the finest in Chateauneuf. Robert Parker summed it up best when he said: “it’s times like [this] when you realize how lucky we are, as wine lovers […] to be able to taste his wines. They won’t exist forever.”