Henri Bonneau, who died in 2016, was the 12th generation in his family to make wine and one of the most respected producers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. His very high quality wines had a unique personality. The 6-hectare vineyard is planted primarily to Grenache (85%) and supplemented by small amounts of Mourvèdre, Counoise and Vaccarese. Although Henri Bonneau never considered converting to organic farming, he ran his vineyard the “old-fashioned” way: no chemical products, low yields, grapes harvested at optimum ripeness, indigenous yeasts during fermentation and long élevage periods of 4 to 10 years. His wines stand out for their complexity, and although very concentrated they have remarkable, if not astonishing, finesse. The various cuvées he produced in limited volumes are particularly hard to come by. Since his death, it goes without saying that there is a fight to get hold of his wines.

The special cuvée is made to obtain a freshness and elegance worthy of Burgundy. The wines are one hundred years old, on sandy soil of le Bas de la Crau, and all the vines are vinified as whole bunches (not destemmed). Ageing lasts twelve months in new barrels which have held one wine (Allier and Tronçais), then another twelve months in foudres. The Maison does no fining nor filtration.