Reviews for the 2003 Clos Mimi Hommage a Henri Bonneau:

"The 2003 Clos Mimi Grenache Hommage à Henri Bonneau is port like on the nose with roasted blackberry and raspberry fruit, meat juice, spice, garrigue, pipe tobacco and brambly notes. The palate is full bodied and amazingly concentrated. The wine fills your mouth and given the overall size of the wine, it’s beautifully balanced, rich and decadent. Extremely long and structured on the finish, this should have a very long life ahead of it. A unique, thrilling wine that is best served with cheese at the end of a meal. (94 pts.)"

Jeb Dunnuck
The Rhone Report
www.therhonereport.com
Issue #2

"That Clos Mimi Grenache is a testament to purity and concentration. I have no idea where the alcohol goes? Maybe the music-aging changes the molecular structure? It does not come off hot, peppery or any other pejorative adjective associated with the heightened alcohol levels he achieves. Bravo! This man and his wines have my full attention."

Louis Koppel
Sommelier
Spencer's for Steaks & Chops
Salt Lake City UT
24 August 2008

"Deep ruby with a light amber rim. Deep, raisiny dark berry and kirsch aromas are complicated by exotic chestnut honey, toffee and roasted coffee. Deep and sweet, with rich cherry and plum liqueur flavors and a wild array of confectionary qualities: candied fig, dates, ambrosia salad and toffeed nuts. Finishes with good acid grip and lift (the malo apparently stalled), which helps to enliven the exotic qualities.
Reminds me of a 30-year-old Graham's Tawny Port, but with more vivid red fruit. The grapes for this were harvested at 33.3 degrees brix, with a pH of 3.94. It was bottled with 33 grams per liter residual sugar, reportedly after spending four years in a seven-year-old French barrique This would be magical with an aged Comte or serious cheddar, such as Montgomery's or one of the fantastic cloth-wrapped versions coming out of Vermont.
(92 points)"

Josh Raynolds
International Wine Cellar
Issue 135
Nov/Dec 07

"A barrel sample [taken at 31 months] of the 2003 Hommage à Henri Bonneau (100% Grenache from the Core Vineyard, macerated 20 days with 100% whole clusters) displays a distinctive Amarone-like style that brought to mind certain vintages of late-harvested Châteauneuf du Pape. Like all the Clos Mimi cuvées, it is fermented with 100% indigenous yeasts, and no acidulation, enzymes, nutrients, or water are utilized. According to winemaker Tim Spear, the residual sugar is approximately 2-3%. It is very sweet, thick, rich, and clearly late harvest in style. The most controversial of Clos Mimi's wines, it is hard to know exactly where it is headed, but I suspect it will age well. It will be bottled in the fall of 2007, after 48 months in barrel! (88-91+ points)"

Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The Wine Advocate
Issue 166
28 August 2006