Henri Bonneau, Chateauneuf du Pape, Cuvee Speciale 1990

1.5cm

97 points Jeb Dunnuck

The late harvest, 16.5% alcohol (w/ 3 grams residual sugar) 1990 Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Spéciale shows fantastic, Amarone like aromatics of grilled meat, blood, roasted herbs, liquefied stems and leather nuances all supported by borderline overripe plum and prune fruit. Full bodied on the palate with stunning balance, decadent fruit and a seamless texture, this picks up a chocolaty richness on the blockbuster finish. The alcohol is certainly noticeable on the tail end of the finish but this remains an absolutely stunning, unique bottle of wine! (4/2009)

96 points John Gilman

The 1990 Cuvée Spéciale was an unplanned for special bottling for Monsieur Bonneau, as he had one barrel that just refused to stop fermenting. When all was said and done, the Cuvée Spéciale weighed in a port-like levels of opulence and alcohol. I had anticipated the wine showing a bit of residual sugar as well, but it seemed quite dry to me. The nose is stunning, offering up intense scents of sweet raisins, mincemeat, red cherry, coffee, ground pepper, hot stones, herb tones, and game. On the palate the wine is huge and impeccably balanced, with a surreal synthesis of brute strength and soulful finesse. The finish is long, complex, ripely tannic and an absolute avalanche of fruit. Much like the Kremlin, this towering wine is not built on a human scale. It is a fine drink today, but seems built for a very long evolution in the bottle as well. I am not sure when will be the best time to drink this essence of Châteauneuf du Pape, but I would forget about it for at least a few more years to let it move decisively beyond its youthful, fruit-driven stage. Amazing stuff. (11/2008)

96 Points CellarTracker

Very unique and interesting wine. Had next to the 98 Celestins. At first the two wines were relatively equal which was surprising. But after a couple hours the Speciale showed its superior nuance and complexity. For a wine that’s 16.5% alcohol I never noticed it. In fact we didn’t realize it was 16.5 until most of the way through the bottle when one of us noticed it on the front label. This wine had lots of red and dark berries, garrigue, animal, black fruits and so much complexity. Prime drinking window right now yet my sense is it stays there for another 20 years. A blockbuster wine. 12/2/2018