Henri Bonneau Dinner at la Tablée

On Thursday, La Tablée continued with a dinner honoring the wines of the late Henri Bonneau. John Junguenet joined our team to attend the event and shared some anecdotes about his upbringing around his father Alain Junguenet, the wine importer of famous Rhone producers. John started the event by saying how important it is to understand the perception wine consumers get on Rhone valley wines. Châteauneuf du Pape produces an average of 15 million bottles of wine each year, and there is no classification among these wines. So, it is solely the reputation of each domaine that makes the difference. Henri Bonneau certainly achieved a unique status. Anyone who has had the chance to taste a bottle from Bonneau always remember his or her first time. If some wines can be described as “polished”, Bonneau’s Châteauneufs are quite the opposite, without, however lacking elegance. I have never been to the domaine but from what I have heard, it is one of the most compelling visits. It is sometimes compared to a time travelling experience, with John telling the story of the abundant mold that would change coloration according to the time of year. John essentially grew up in Henri’s cellar, a certain magical underground cavern Daniel Johnnes remembered for its steps going downstairs - slippery because of the high humidity. Some of the barrels were older than Henri himself while he was still making wine in his 70’s… The facetious winemaker was also known for his interactions with the few journalists who managed to pass the gate. When asked about technical details on his wine production, he would answer: “I have no technical information, and I’m not sorry”. While some vignerons follow a detailed winemaking procedure that includes a certain percentage of new oak, a precise length for aging or an exact proportion of whole cluster each year, Henri followed no recipe, relying solely on his senses. Daniel recalled tasting with him: after Henri took a sip of wine taken from the barrel, he declared: “Well, that was not so good a few moths ago, but it’s getting better…”. He would not release his wines if he thought they were not ready, so it would not be rare to see a younger vintage before an older one hit the market, sometimes waiting 6 years before releasing a cuvée.

Henri passed away in 2016. We were lucky to source excellent bottles directly from his cellar with the help of John Junguenet for the dinner. I don’t have a detailed list of my tasting notes, but I am keeping a very fond memory of the 1999 Cuvée des Celestins. The wine was very elegant and soulful, with rounded tannins, aromas of ripe prunes, even dark chocolate. The finish was very long and silky.

John Junguenet (right) was the special host of the dinner at La Mercerie.

Kicking Off La Tablée with an ode to 1990 in the Northern Rhône

January 27, 2022
by Edouard Bourgeois

1990 was an important vintage in the Northern Rhône for two reasons. First, it offered ideal weather conditions that made for exceptionally great wines. Secondly, because this event happened in a much needed era during which these wines didn’t enjoy the great reputation they do today. In fact, besides a few producers like Guigal and its famous Côte-Rôtie trio, Robert Parker nicknamed “the Lala’s”, the terraced vineyards were largely abandoned. As a reference, only 100 acres of vineyards were planted in the Côte-Rôtie appellation in the 1950’s versus 500 acres today. And all the way through the 1980’s, the few vine growers who dared face the hard labor on these steep hillside vineyards would mostly sell their crop to the local négociants. Chapoutier and Jaboulet or even Vidal-Fleury were among them and still operate today. A fun fact, Marius Gentaz of the historic and now legendary domaine Gentaz-Dervieux was the first one to receive an offer to purchase a parcel of La Turque lieu-dit from Vidal-Fleury back in 1980. Because he already had enough work with his own vineyards, he declined the offer. The rest is history…

Going back to 1990, this ideal vintage was in fact part of a series of four great vintages from 1989 to 1992. Lush wines, evenly ripe and balanced that still evolve today after 30 years.

Last night’s wine lineup for the first event of La Tablée was impressive. Here is a quick recap on the wines and how they showed:

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Guests were welcomed with a glass of Condrieu from Chateau de Rozay. It is really interesting to see how an old Viognier can be so complex and highly mineral, especially when it seems that young Condrieu can develop a certain sweetness along with exotic aromas. This 1990 was dry and linear.

 FIRST COURSE

Oysters "Vanderbilt"

John's River Oysters Gratinées, Hazelnut, Parsley-Seaweed Crust

Domaine Marcel Juge, Saint-Peray Blanc 1990

I thought this wine showed a bit too much of the heat of the vintage and the fruit was overwhelmed by that characteristic. A bit of a downer but fortunately, nothing disappointed after that.

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, Hermitage Blanc 1990

“The King of the Hill”, Chave may be famous for his brooding red Hermitages but he also produces a very large proportion of white wine from a blend of Roussanne and Marsanne. These whites are typically oily and very intense, built to age. The two bottles we opened were pitch perfect and fragrant with dry apricots and dried herbs.

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SECOND COURSE

Roasted Monkfish Tail

Carrot Mousseline, Bacon Lardons, Caramelized Pearl Onions

Sauce Côte-Rôtie

Domaine Jamet, Côte-Rôtie 1990

Domaine Jasmin, Côte-Rôtie 1990

Domaine Gentaz-Dervieux, Côte-Rôtie “Côte Brune” 1990

Stunning flight. Côte-Rôtie is often described as the Burgundy of the Rhône. I would agree on that for the Jamet. I have never been disappointed by a bottle from this producer. This 1990 was maybe the best bottle I’ve had. Everything was exactly in its place. A touch of smoked meat, black olives and tar, a real show-stopper. Gentaz-Dervieux’s Côte Brune took a little time to fully open but eventually displayed incredible depth and a lovely black fruit quality. Finding this wine today is nearly impossible. Finally, Jasmin delivered a great performance. Not quite as impressive as the other two but a great bottle and the only wine of the flight with a touch of Viognier co-fermented with the Syrah as well as a de-stemmed vatting fermentation.

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THIRD COURSE

Girelle Pasta with Wild Mushrooms

Broccoli Rabe, Comté Emulsion, Black Truffles

Domaine Jean-Louis Chave, Hermitage 1990

Domaine Bernard Faurie, Hermitage 1990

Domaine Paul Jaboulet Aîné, Hermitage “La Chapelle” 1990

Domaine Marc Sorrel, Hermitage “Le Greal” 1990

Chave was impressively vibrant and youthful, my second favorite wine of the night with a very long finish. Bernard Faurie may not be as famous on wine auctions or on wine lists but their wines are incredibly authentic. This bottle was exactly that, generous and with a touch of rustic earthiness. Parker’s 100 pointer La Chapelle clearly stood out in this flight, displaying a very modern style. It took a long time for the wine to unfold and its tight grain makes you believe it still has a few decades ahead. Overall exuberant and to me still too “one-dimensional”. Finally, the Marc Sorrel’s bottling had a dirty and animal edge not everyone loved. I would agree that the wine was probably a bit over the hill. Luckily that was the only cuvée that seemed past its prime that night.    

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MAIN COURSE

Whole Roasted Venison Loin

Blackberry and Red Wine Braised Cabbage, Confit Roots, Crosnes, Juniper Sauce

Sauce Grand Veneur

Domaine Noël Verset, Cornas 1990

Domaine Clape, Cornas 1990

Domaine Thierry Allemand, Cornas 1990 (tasting pour)

Domaine Courbis, Cornas “Sabarotte” 1990

The appellation of Cornas is the same size as Hermitage with roughly 320 acres each. But the former has been overlooked for a very long time until recently when both long established producers and newcomers changed the reputation of these wines and really put them on the map. This flight though was a perfect show of the old school artists. Noël Verset’s Cornas was probably my #3 wine of the night. At first reduced, it reminded me of roasted beets with a strong and in fact quite unappealing dirty nose. After much swirling and patience, I finally put it to my lips and the palate was much more profound and beautiful than expected. Long and brilliant finish, very elegant. Clape is still making very fine wines. It was amazing to taste such an old cuvée that also appeared a bit timid at first but eventually developed all the smoked meat and dried herbs one can expect from Cornas. I was also surprised by the high levels of acidity. The hyper rare bottle of Thierry Allemand’s 1990 did not disappoint. Multi layered and full of life. Finally, the Sabarotte expressed a soft texture and dark fruit aromas. A polished and delicious wine but unsurprisingly not playing in the same high league of the other three of this flight

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CHEESE

Black Truffle Moses Sleeper

Mâche Salad, Hazelnut Toast

Unforgettable night in NYC