1997 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Marie Beurrier

In 2003, we will finally see several releases, including his 1997 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Marie Beurrier. Although this is an outstanding effort from a difficult vintage, Bonneau is used to producing wines that are far better out of bottle than from barrel. This 1997 has gotten better with each year of aging, and from bottle, it is an outstanding example of Chateauneuf du Pape. A heady concoction of kirsch liqueur, licorice, pepper, and ripe black cherry fruit is offered in a rich, full-bodied, surprisingly intense style. The acid is low, the fruit ripe, and the wine plump and juicy. Typical of many Bonneau efforts, it offers notes of smoke, beef blood, earth, figs, and prunes. It will drink well for 12-15 years. Always one of the most remarkable visits, my annual pilgrimage to the top of the village of Chateauneuf du Pape for the descent into the ancient cellars of Henri Bonneau is always a challenge. First of all, the wines are spectacular, but getting Bonneau to deliver a serious response to a question is never easy. Nevertheless, he has a wicked sense of humor, and with his Provencal twang, he is not the easiest to understand, particularly when his jibes are aimed at the French bureaucracy. Bonneau was in rare form when I saw him. He was thrilled with his 2001s, 2000s, 1999s, and 1998s (as was just about everybody else in Chateauneuf du Pape). He was philosophical about the rain storms that flooded the region on September 8 and 9, 2002, saying that fate had already been kind to Chateauneuf du Pape with four great vintages in a row. As I have said before, the wines that emerge from Henri Bonneau's 15+ acres of old vine Grenache planted on the famed sector called La Crau are majestic wines of extraordinary power, richness, and longevity. At the end of our tasting, Bonneau pulled out one of his legendary old vintages, the 1955 Reserve des Celestins, and once again, I simply wrote "100 ... it doesn't get any better than this." The only question is when will Bonneau decide to bottle his wines? Everything done at chez Bonneau makes no sense to modern day oenologists. His cellars are deplorable, and the condition of his barrels (at least the outside of them) is frightful. However, it's what's inside that counts. The magic in those barrels represents the essence, the heart and soul of Chateauneuf du Pape. Importer: Alain Junguenet, Wines of France, Mountainside, NJ; tel. (908) 654-6173