This is Bonneau’s ‘grand vin’, his top wine, only released in good years. The wine is about 90% grenache with the remaining 10% made up of mourvèdre, counoise and vaccarèse. Most of the fruit comes from the Le Crau and Grand Pierre vineyards (sandy soils next to Chateau Rayas). It's a truly great wine that will stop you in your tracks.
“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.
“The 2011 Châteauneuf du Pape Reserve des Celestins shows the sunny warmth of the vintage with its killer perfume of sweet red and black fruits, pepper, smoked herbs and Provençal garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, sexy and with ripe tannin, it's not a blockbuster, but is about as Provençal as it gets. It will drink nicely right from the get-go and I suspect not shut down.”
93-95 points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Oct 2015.
“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.”
93-95 points. Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, April 2015.
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