CNP Cuvée des Célestins 2018 - domaine Henri Bonneau (magnum, 1.5 L)

Châteauneuf-du-Pape Réserve des Célestins 2018 — Henri Bonneau

This Réserve des Célestins 2018 from Domaine Henri Bonneau, offered here in magnum, represents the estate’s rarest and most ambitious cuvée. Selected from the finest lots, it expresses a Châteauneuf-du-Pape of remarkable depth, built around Grenache, garrigue, red and black fruits, spice, leather and a distinctive clay-driven minerality.

At Henri Bonneau, Réserve des Célestins is produced only when the material allows it. The grapes are traditionally vinified without destemming in concrete vats, then aged for a long period in old wooden vessels. The 2018 vintage offers a fresh, vertical and sensual interpretation of the domaine, with a broad, persistent and already deeply aromatic palate.

Terroir: La Crau, galets roulés and red clay

Réserve des Célestins is closely associated with the great terroir of La Crau, one of the most renowned sectors of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. This plateau of rounded stones, deposited by the ancient Rhône, encourages deep ripeness in Grenache. The stones store heat during the day and slowly release it back to the vine, while the underlying red clays bring depth, water reserve and complexity.

In the glass, this terroir gives a highly characteristic balance: ripe fruit, Provençal spice, garrigue, liquorice, sanguine notes and a mineral sensation. In 2018, the expression remains strikingly fresh and upright, with a finish carried by pepper, bitter clay notes and a persistent mineral thread.

Tasting notes

Appearance: pale to medium ruby, surprisingly translucent for a Châteauneuf-du-Pape of such depth, with a brightness that highlights the finesse of Grenache and the freshness of the vintage.

Nose: highly complex, combining dried lavender, Provençal garrigue, menthol, melted liquorice, pepper, saddle leather, red and black fruits, black cherry, sanguine nuances, dried meat and noble vegetal notes. The whole remains aromatically fresh despite the wine’s density.

Palate: broad, supple and layered, with a texture that is already very caressing yet clearly built for ageing. The wine shows more substance and ambition than Marie Beurrier in the same vintage, while retaining remarkable verticality. The finish is long, persistent, peppery, mineral and slightly saline, with an imprint of clay and garrigue.

Expression of the 2018 vintage

The 2018 vintage at the domaine was marked by significant mildew pressure, making rigorous selection essential. In this context, Réserve des Célestins stands out for its freshness, minerality and peppery precision. It is not only about richness, but about verticality, depth and length.

In magnum, the wine should evolve slowly and preserve its aromatic brilliance for longer. It can begin to open from the mid-2020s, but its real interest lies in cellaring: its substance, length and structure suggest an evolution over several decades, towards greater leather, truffle, forest floor, sweet spice and Mediterranean depth.