Châteauneuf du Pape rouge Réserve des Célestins 2015 Magnum - Domaine Henri Bonneau

Henri Bonneau

The legend of Châteauneuf-du-Pape

In the Rhône Valley, Henri Bonneau was bigger than life. The Bonneau family had been in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region since 1667, growing vines and making wine. This means that Henri was the twelfth generation of winemakers. Born in 1938, the young man began his career by helping his parents in the family estate in 1961. Later on, Henri inherited the entire property and the 6 hectares vineyard surrounding it. There, he planted mostly Grenache grape varieties (85% of the entire plot) and he would take care of these grapevines for many years.

This old school winemaker never talked much and always seemed a bit gruff around the edges, but he had a keen sense of humor and one single goal in life: to make good wine. Never did he have to wonder about the benefits of organic farming because he never used any chemicals in his cuvées! Everything was done just like in the good old days, with a long maturation time, spent in ancient wooden barrels (3 to 8 years, to fully benefit from the wood's micro-oxygenation). Henri also never cared much for the market price of his bottles, leaving the merchants to their own devices.

Henri Bonneau died in 2016. He was 78 years old. The cellar he used to spend his days in (and which he liked to call his "dump") is now closed. Currently, there are only 20 thousand of his old cuvées in the entire world, meaning that the prices of these bottles can sometimes be quite high. His wines might be rare but they're also unforgettable, thanks to their strength and richness. Even Robert Parker fell in love with them during the 1980's!

Now, Marcel Bonneau, Henri's son born in 1973, is the head of the Domaine Henri Bonneau et Fils. He still makes wines, just like his father used to do back in the days, with the help of a few of Henri's old disciples. The cuvées produced by this new crew are: the classical Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Rouliers, the Marie Beurrier (a thoughtful homage to one of Henri Bonneau's wife's aunts) and the iconic Réserve des Célestins.

Discover the wines from Henri Bonneau.