The Henri Bonneau Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Henri Bonneau 2017 is a Grenache-led red from the southern Rhône Valley that carries real weight without turning heavy or sweet. Named in honour of the late Henri Bonneau and drawn from a blend of roughly 90 per cent Grenache with Mourvèdre, Counoise and Vaccarèse, it arrives with several years of cellar age already behind it.

Aromatically the wine leans savoury: macerated red plum and dried cherry, then wild thyme, cured meat, orange peel and warm stone. The palate is generous and deep, with sweet fruit at the core and a dusty, herbal edge running alongside it.

The warmth of the 2017 season in Châteauneuf-du-Pape shows in the fleshiness and the ripe, rounded shape of the wine, though tannins remain fine-grained and the finish stays long and dry rather than jammy. Structure comes from that firm, chalky grip and a lick of iron rather than from acidity alone.

Serve it with slow-roasted lamb shoulder, duck with olives, a rich daube, or hard sheep's milk cheese. A large glass and half an hour of air will do it favours.

Held back and released by the estate only once judged ready, the 2017 is enjoyable now and should continue to reward cellaring through to around 2035.