Clos des Papes

The Avril family have been winegrowers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape since 1600 and served as its First Consuls and Treasurers from 1756 to 1790. In 1896 Paul Eugène Avril (1873-1962) began selling his wines under the name Clos des Papes, and the trademark was formally registered at the registry of the Orange court on 4 September 1902, covering the entire estate. On 13 April 1911, the first commission for the classification of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape cru met at the town hall under his chairmanship. The estate's history page says that in 1923 a group of winegrowers led by Baron Le Roy, including Paul Eugène Avril and his son Régis Avril, obtained court rulings establishing regulations that would later become part of national legislation. Régis Avril (1901-1987) supplied the Élysée Palace during the presidencies of General de Gaulle and Georges Pompidou. The first vintage of Clos des Papes Blanc was 1954.

• Avril family winegrowers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape since 1600
• 1896: wines first sold under the Clos des Papes name
• 4 September 1902: trademark registered at the registry of the Orange court
• 13 April 1911: first commission for the classification of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape cru, chaired by Paul Eugène Avril
• 1954: first vintage of Clos des Papes Blanc

Paul Avril (1937-2009), the son of Régis Avril, joined the estate in 1963, and his son Paul-Vincent Avril, born in 1965, joined in 1988. Successive generations of the family have worked to uphold the reputation of Clos des Papes, each improving the estate's facilities. Paul Avril and Paul-Vincent Avril developed estate bottling for the entire production and expanded the clientele in France and abroad. In 1979 Paul Avril planted the Mourvèdre that is now part of the blend. Paul-Vincent Avril studied in Beaune alongside Jean-Luc Lancelot, and after his studies worked in Bordeaux at Château Mouton Rothschild and Château de Gaillat, in Provence at Domaines Ott and in Australia's Yarra Valley at Mount Mary. He has stopped filtering the wine, introduced full destemming and reduced yields. As of 2019, Paul-Vincent Avril was the estate's winemaker and Jean-Luc Lancelot its chef de culture.

• Family line: Paul Eugène Avril (1873-1962), Régis Avril (1901-1987), Paul Avril (1937-2009), Paul-Vincent Avril (born 1965)
• Paul Avril joined the estate in 1963; Paul-Vincent Avril joined in 1988
• Estate bottling developed for the entire production
• Paul-Vincent Avril worked at Château Mouton Rothschild, Château de Gaillat, Domaines Ott and Mount Mary after his studies
• As of 2019: Paul-Vincent Avril, winemaker; Jean-Luc Lancelot, chef de culture

Clos des Papes is a 35-hectare estate divided into no fewer than 24 plots. The 'Clos' of the name refers to one plot of old vines, the oldest part of the property, situated next to the ruins of the pope's old château in the town; a further 23 plots are scattered across the appellation. There is a distance of 10 kilometres between the most northerly and southerly plots, and a difference of 10 days in the ripening of grapes at either end. The estate's vineyards spread over the terroirs of Crau and Canto. The estate describes Clos des Papes as characterised by sandy soils, which bring finesse, and clay soils, often covered with rounded pebbles, which give the wines structure. Yields average 20 hectolitres per hectare, and selection for quality takes place in the vineyard rather than in the cellar. The estate is certified organic (Ecocert), with certification in 2011.

• 35 hectares in no fewer than 24 plots
• The Clos plot of old vines lies next to the ruins of the pope's old château
• Sandy soils and clay soils, often covered with rounded pebbles
• Average yields of 20 hectolitres per hectare
• Certified organic (Ecocert) since 2011

The different plots and grape varieties are co-fermented, and the estate gives this as one of the reasons it produces just one red wine and one white wine. The red is vinified in ceramic-lined concrete vats, with the grape varieties blended in the vat whenever their ripeness allows. The grapes are destemmed and crushed, and maceration lasts around three weeks. The wine stays in vat through the winter, then ages for 12 months in large oak casks; no new oak is used. It is then blended again for consistency from the first bottle to the last. The entire production is sold in bottles, and bottling is carried out by the estate. The white is vinified in stainless steel tanks with all six grape varieties blended together. No oak barrels are used for the white wines, which are aged on their fine lees in stainless steel tanks until bottling in February.

• Red: ceramic-lined concrete vats, destemmed and crushed grapes, maceration of around three weeks
• Red ageing: 12 months in large oak casks, no new oak
• White: stainless steel tanks, no oak, aged on fine lees until bottling in February
• Entire production sold in bottles and bottled by the estate

Clos des Papes makes one red and one white Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The red is 55% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah and 5% Counoise, Vaccarèse, Muscardin and Cinsault. The white is made from Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Clairette, Piquepoul, Bourboulenc and Picardan, each in equal proportions. Outside the appellation boundaries, the estate makes Petit Vin d'Avril Red and White, non-vintage Vin de France wines from alluvial soils along the Rhône, with yields of around 30 hectolitres per hectare. The red, from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Caladoc, Marselan, Merlot and Cinsault, takes half of its blend from the previous year's wine, aged in large oak casks, and the remainder from the current vintage. The white, from Marsanne, Bourboulenc, Piquepoul and Clairette, is made from a single year's harvest, vinified and aged on its fine lees in stainless steel tanks and bottled in January. The estate gives both Petit Vin d'Avril wines an ageing potential of six to eight years. Petit Vin d'Avril Rouge was first released in 1992 and Petit Vin d'Avril Blanc in 1997. As of 2019, average production was 80,000 to 100,000 bottles of the red Clos des Papes and 8,000 to 10,000 of the white.

• Clos des Papes Red: 55% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 5% Counoise, Vaccarèse, Muscardin and Cinsault
• Clos des Papes White: six varieties in equal proportions
• Petit Vin d'Avril Red and White: non-vintage Vin de France from alluvial soils outside the appellation
• Petit Vin d'Avril first releases: Rouge 1992, Blanc 1997

The estate's own account is that it makes distinctive wines with ageing potential, a clear sense of identity and a full expression of their terroir. It says its wines are made for ageing and benefit from a few years in the cellar, and advises decanting the red one or two hours before tasting and serving it at 14°C. Its white wines should be served at 12°C, pair with fish, white meats and cheese, and age just as well as the reds. Paul-Vincent Avril aims for 14% to 14.5% alcohol. In a 2019 Decanter profile he said: "We don’t want to make a Burgundy, but when people say we make the most Burgundian style of Châteauneuf, I’m happy with that." He also told Decanter: "Our wines are to go with food, and it’s for that reason we don’t make special cuvées. We never have and we never will."

• Recommended serving: the red decanted one or two hours before tasting and served at 14°C; the white at 12°C
• The white pairs with fish, white meats and cheese
• Target alcohol of 14% to 14.5%
• No special cuvées

Primary sources (producer's own site, read through its WordPress pages endpoint while the site's front end shows a maintenance page): https://www.closdespapes.com/wp-json/wp/v2/pages?per_page=100, covering https://www.closdespapes.com/en/the-paul-avril-family/, https://www.closdespapes.com/en/history-of-the-appellation/, https://www.closdespapes.com/en/clos-des-papes/, https://www.closdespapes.com/en/the-terroirs/, https://www.closdespapes.com/en/clos-des-papes-red/, https://www.closdespapes.com/en/clos-des-papes-white/, https://www.closdespapes.com/en/petit-vin-davril-red/ and https://www.closdespapes.com/en/petit-vin-davril-white/. Secondary sources: Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation body, https://en.chateauneuf.com/domaines/clos-des-papes-wines-chateauneuf-du-pape/; Decanter (Matt Walls, published 15 July 2019), https://www.decanter.com/premium/producer-profile-clos-des-pape-420365/; Wine Spectator (James Molesworth, Top 100 of 2014), https://top100.winespectator.com/2014/article/clos-des-papes-sets-the-pace/. Last verified 2026-10-21. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.