The Wine Fairy

I get giddy over a great-value Rhône, and this one is a doozy: The Bonpas Grande Réserve des Challières Ventoux.

It even looks substantial and rich. There’s the heavy embossed bottle, the rawkin’ Gothic font, and the castle on the label. I bought the Bonpas during a Grenache spree a year ago and promptly forgot how much I had paid. The synthetic cork was my only clue that this wine sells for like $13.

But first, some wine biography: The Ventoux AOC is a large region in the southern Rhône, on the border with Provence. Mont-Ventoux looks down on the Rhône Valley and provides some altitude to its vineyards. A workshop for dolia (Roman wine vessels) was unearthed nearby, giving evidence of large-scale winemaking in the region as early as 30 B.C.E.

In the 14th century, Ventoux wines were favored by the popes of Avignon, particularly Urban V and Gregory XI. The medieval town of Bonpas and its winery take their name from “Bon Passage”–a safe way-station on the historic road between Avignon and Rome.

Heavy, Grenache-based reds are the most historically important wines of Ventoux. But–this being the edge of Provence–there is also a significant rosé industry. Rosé accounts for around 40% of the total production. A lot of this gets consumed domestically because Ventoux rosés don’t have the same global name recognition as their neighbors in the Côtes de Provence AOC.

Anyway, let’s crush this Pope wine, shall we? It’s a medium ruby color with a watermelon tinge on its rim. The nose is ripe, spicy, and pronounced. Squishy red plum, soft black plum and raspberries tangle with anise and white and black peppercorn. Touch of wet black earth in there, too.

The palate sustains all the fruits–plus green sage, iron, and the tart bite of ripe red cherries and less-ripe red plum. High alcohol and (dare I say it) minerality? The only weakness is right at the end, where the acidity and tannins kinda lose their nerve and trip into a puddle of sour cherry water. When that happens, it’s easy enough to re-ignite the intensity of this wine by taking another sip.

I don’t detect any new oak, and I’m proud of myself when I look at the spec sheet later. The producer states that they eschew oak aging entirely to preserve the fruit character and to keep the tannins “flexible.” The grapes are Grenache and Syrah (those two varieties only) with 100% stainless steel fermentation and aging.

The label, maddeningly enough, gives a range for the alcohol–11-14%. I’ve never seen that before–is that even legal? In any case, I would bet that this wine is on the higher end of that scale, and maybe even higher than 14%.

There is an absolutely fabulous quality/price ratio on this sucker. (Rhône underdogs for the win!) I’ve had Châteauneuf-du-Pape that would’ve gotten its butt kicked by this juice–and at 3-5 times the price, too. This is an ideal bottle for a weekday dinner, unmarred by the bitterness of unmet expectations.

Finally, I just want to raise a big ole holy “Hallelujah!” to the southern Rhône, to Grenache, and to the importers who bring these tasty Pope wines stateside. What a time to be alive! It’s simply insane that we get to enjoy these historic, expertly blended French wines for the price of like, Cupcake Merlot or some crap.

Sometimes I post a food pairing pic on my reviews–but I’m not gonna ugly up this blog with photos of my leftovers. I drank this Bonpas Ventoux with smoked gouda mac, spinach, and a few bites of prime rib reheated in the microwave and it was 🔥.

Bottle: Bonpas Grande Réserve des Challières Ventoux (2020)

Variety: Grenache, Syrah

ABV: “11-14%” (Yeah, no–let’s just call it 14%.)

Suggested retail: $13.99

My rating: 8.9 (out of 10)

Further reading:

AOC Ventoux: An Appellation Blessed by the Wind

Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.