It was Pope John XXII who commissioned the building of the now world-famous castle overlooking the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the early 14th century. It was he too that encouraged the cultivation of the vine and the olive in the region, although the locals had been happily doing just this for at least 150 years prior to his arrival. Whilst the Avrils cannot trace their history as far back as the Papal occupation of Avignon, they are undoubtedly one of the oldest families of the village and were one of the first to bottle wines under their own label back in 1896.

Today the estate is masterminded by Vincent Avril, a broad-minded, forward thinking young man who has led the domaine from strength to strength. He has both a strong commercial sense, thanks to his studies at a Swiss business school, and an undeniable talent in the winery. For the past twenty years, Clos des Papes has consistently produced outstanding wines and is now recognised as one of the leading lights of the appellation.

The running of the estate however is no easy matter. The 35ha which make up the domaine are divided amongst 24 different parcels which cover the 5 communes of the appellation and which comprise all 13 of the permitted grapes varieties of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The Avrils are fanatical about the work in the vineyard. At the beginning of the year, the vines are severely pruned, leaving just 5 to 6 bunches per vine (half the normal number). They are then de-budded in the Spring, green-harvested in the summer (at veraison) and leaf-plucked at the end of August. Six hectares are now fully organic (where they have been able to persuade their neighbours to treat in a similar fashion), the remaining land being treated along organic lines: (absence of weedkillers, organic fertilizer, seaweed-based treatments…).

Then there is the selection. A first sorting of the grapes takes place at leaf-plucking. A further two are carried out at the time of the harvest. Those most favoured of grapes which make their way to the winery are then scrutinized a final time on the sorting table before passing muster. With so much selection, it is a wonder that any wine is made at Clos des Papes, so it hardly comes as a surprise to learn that they have very low yields (on average around 25 hl / ha).

All of this hard work obviously pays dividends in the cellar. With a team of 45 pickers for the vendanges, parcels can be harvested quickly and at optimum maturity. Different varieties are then vinified in the same tank, according to ripeness levels. The cellar works on the principle of gravity, so grape handling is kept to a minimum prior to fermentation.

There have been a number of changes at the cellar in the past few years (a revamped vinification cellar, swanky glass doors leading into the ageing cellar, an even swankier new tasting room….) but their refusal to genuflect before the God of New Wood is one thing that has most certainly not changed. Whilst you will see a few first and second fill barriques kicking around, the vast majority of the wine is aged in old 50hl foudres. Their aim is to fully exploit the natural ripe tannins of the skins, rather than bringing harsher wood tannins to their wines.

The result is one of the most elegant wines of the appellation (the term “one” is used advisedly, as you will not find any “super-cuvées” here). This may be due to Vincent‘s time spent studying in Burgundy and his love of Pinot Noir, it may be their soils, it may be the winemaking, it may be a combination of these factors. Whatever the reason, the resulting red wine has great depth and character with exceptionally fine tannins, a wine which is never heavy nor alcoholic. The whites, which can be rather closed in their youth, are full-bodied with great acidity and open out after two to three years. They often give the impression of not being destined for a long career, but tastings of older vintages immediately dispel this misapprehension.