Henri Bonneau Réserve des Célestins 2012

„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.

Henri's son, Marcel Bonneau, has taken over the management of the domaine, with a small team of advisers to help him along. On the day I visited, there were six of us crammed into the tiny, warren-like aging cellars under the Bonneau family dwellings. Marcel and his entourage bounced from barrel to barrel, pulling generous servings from barrels and chattering away in heavily accented French that was a challenge for me to keep up with. Thankfully, one member of the group was a translator, so I think I've got what comes below correct. The domain consists of 16.3 hectares, including a prized 2.3-hectare parcel in La Crau, the base for the Reserve des Celestins bottling, when it's made. Almost all of the vines are Grenache. "I'm anti Syrah in Châteauneuf du Pape," Marcel said vehemently. Because the wines spend so much time in élevage, I've only put ratings on the older wines, which are presumably closer to being bottled. We did taste from a couple of 2016 barrels that would both rate in the 94-96+ range, and a 2015 barrel from La Crau was mind-blowingly good and potentially perfect (98-100). The 2014s are less impressive, and according to Marcel, they "don't have the structure, so need to stay in élevage longer." As you'll see from my notes on the 2011s, I have my doubts about lengthy élevage for these wines and so have reserved judgement on the more recent vintages until closer to bottling, whenever that may be.“

Joe Czerwinski 94-96 Punkte (Okt. 2017) - Fassmuster

„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.

My tasting with Henri Bonneau is always one of the highlights of my two weeks spent working in the Southern Rhône. As I’ve said before, the cellar conditions here are incredibly dirty, but the elixir that comes out of the barrels never ceases to amaze. However, I will say it’s incredibly difficult to really know what you are tasting and when it will actually see the inside of a bottle. For each vintage, I taste just two barrels, a young vines and a selection from La Crau. I expect the young vine sample to be the Cuvee Marie Beurrie, but it might very well end as just the classic Châteauneuf du Pape. The selection from La Crau is always a more impressive barrel sample and has more depth, richness and concentration. In great vintages like 2010, I’ve no doubt this will end up being a Reserve des Celestins release, yet in 2013 for example, I suspect this will end up either in the Cuvee Marie Beurrier or in a straight Châteauneuf du Pape bottling. Looking at the vintages tasted here, the 2010 and 2012 are clearly superior, but 2011 continues to impress as well, although I believe Henri finds this vintage too soft and forward for his tastes. The 2010 should be the next vintage readers will see on the shelves. It’s a great vintage, and while these wines are not easy to find, it’s worth the effort.“

Jeb Dunnuck 93-96 Punkte (Okt. 2015) - Fassmuster

Quelle: www.robertparker.com