2012 Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Réserve des Célestins, Henri Bonneau, Rhône

Domaine Henri Bonneau

Henri Bonneau is one of the true legends of Châteauneuf du Pape. He is the 12th generation of Bonneaus to produce wine in Châteauneuf and is now aided in the cellars by his son, Marcel. Henri has 6 hectares of vineyards, split between 5.25ha in La Crau (arguably Châteauneuf's finest terroir) and 0.75ha on stonier soil near Couthézon in the north east of the appellation.

His wines are produced predominantly from Grenache (80-90%) with small quantities of Mourvèdre, Counoise and Vaccarèse. Henri harvests as late as possible, a policy that usually produces superripe fruit although sometimes he does gets caught out by October rains. Yields are kept low and vinfication and elevage are traditional with the use of wooden foudres and smaller oak barrels. Typically the wine are aged in oak for 3-4 years before being bottled unfiltered. His top cuvée, Réserve des Celestins displays intensely concentrated black fruit and is without question one of the finest of all Châteauneufs.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape

The most celebrated village of the Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the birthplace of the now indispensable French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée system – imperfect though it may be. Compared to the Northern Rhône, the vineyards here are relatively flat and often feature the iconic galet pebbles – the precise benefits of which are a source of much debate. Minimum alcohol levels required by the AOC are the highest in France, but at 12.5% it is well below the natural generosity of Grenache, which only achieves its full aromatic potential when it is fully ripe and laden with the resultant high sugars. Syrah and Mourvèdre contribute the other defining elements in the blend, adding pepper, savoury spice and structure to the decadent Grenache. There are a further 10 permitted red grape varieties which can be used to adjust the “seasoning”. Of the five white varieties permitted, it is Grenache Noir’s sibling – predictably perhaps – Grenache Blanc, which dominates, though Roussanne shows a great deal of promise when handled well, notably at Château de Beaucastel.

Southern Rhône Blend

The vast majority of wines from the Southern Rhône are blends. There are 5 main black varieties, although others are used and the most famous wine of the region, Châteauneuf du Pape, can be made from as many as 13 different varieties. Grenache is the most important grape in the southern Rhône - it contributes alcohol, warmth and gentle juicy fruit and is an ideal base wine in the blend. Plantings of Syrah in the southern Rhône have risen dramatically in the last decade and it is an increasingly important component in blends. It rarely attains the heights that it does in the North but adds colour, backbone, tannins and soft ripe fruit to the blend.

The much-maligned Carignan has been on the retreat recently but is still included in many blends - the best old vines can add colour, body and spicy fruits. Cinsault is also backtracking but, if yields are restricted, can produce moderately well-coloured wines adding pleasant-light fruit to red and rosé blends. Finally, Mourvèdre, a grape from Bandol on the Mediterranean coast, has recently become an increasingly significant component of Southern Rhône blends - it often struggles to ripen fully but can add acidity, ripe spicy berry fruits and hints of tobacco to blends.