Portrait / Henri Bonneau, the guardian angel of the trade
Here is a singular character who sadly left us in 2016. Some people speak of Mr Henri Bonneau as a legend, others as a genius winemaker, a man of character or even a simple farmer.
Henri Bonneau was a modest man, almost always dressed in a worker's overalls, like a real old-fashioned farmer. And the least we can say is that the man was imposing.
Born in 1938, Henri Bonneau represented the twelfth generation of winemakers at Winerywhere he first made wine in 1956. So how did his wines get everyone to agree, perhaps by the "myth" that surrounds his wines? A secret? Henri Bonneau used to answer that the secret is that there is no secret! Besides, he didn't even ask himself the question of organics. He cultivated his vines as he did in the days when chemistry did not exist anyway. The Wineryhas always worked with small yields (between 10 and 15hl/ha) on late harvested grapes and Henri has carried on the tradition. Fermentation: in concrete vats with indigenous yeasts, without temperature control, without sulphur and can last up to a year. At the end of fermentation, the wines are transferred to Burgundy barrels, all of which are over 10 years old. There, the maturation will last between 6 and 10 years until Henri Bonneau decides to bottle the wine. Nothing was determined in advance. He decided on the number of vintages for each vintage when the barrels were tasted. The same was true for the destination of the wine in this or that cuvée. The cuvée was not a parcel-based vinification, but was decided by taste. Only Henri Bonneau knew what he was doing, by drawing enigmatic signs with chalk on the barrels...
In 2001, Henri bought with his son Marcel some vines in the Gard, from which the cuvée "Les Rouliers" is made. (a cuvée that is systematically made into a Vin de Table, as Henri did not like the administrative side of things...) Let's talk about Marcel, the heir whom Henri has always associated with his business and who, since the age of 14, has worked in the fields and in the cellar. It is therefore the legitimate successor who has taken over the reins of Winerywith the help of a close friend, Régis Charmasson. As a result, and despite some rumours, no price speculation has been envisaged and continuity in the maturing process is assured. In short, Wineryof 6 hectares essentially composed of Grenache (85%) planted on the prestigious Cruau plateau is and will be well kept!
More than that, the convictions and good farming sense of Henri Bonneau, who said: "I prefer to drink a basic wine with nice guys than a big bottle with a fool" will still shine in the French and world wine landscape. We are happy!
ALL THE WINES OF MONSIEUR HENRI BONNEAU are HERE