Clos des Papes

If you visit Châteauneuf-du-Pape – and the opportunity arises – don’t pass up a visit to Clos des Papes. With over 400 years of family winemaking history, and 23 plots planted with all 18 permitted varieties, Vincent Avril has a lot of wisdom to divulge. And he’s happy to share it – over a mature vintage or two if you’re lucky. Thanks to their finesse, balance and freshness, these are wines that age beautifully – the whites as well as the reds.

The estate has long been certified organic, and yields are always low – typically between 15 and 25hl/ha. He’s never been tempted to make a suite of cuvées spéciales, and sticks faithfully to his traditionalist vision of making a single red and a single white from this appellation. The reds are destemmed and aged in large old foudres; the whites don’t go through malolactic, and are aged in stainless steel. No matter the vintage, Clos des Papes never fails to create wines with something to say.