Clos des Papes

Clos des Papes was established in 1896 by Paul Avril in the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, in the Southern Rhône. From the outset, the Avril family positioned itself not merely as a grower but as an active force in defining the appellation's standards. The founding Paul Avril played a pivotal role in the creation of France's first AOC regulations in 1936, regulations that gave Châteauneuf-du-Pape its legal identity and became the template for the national system. That foundational involvement remains central to the estate's sense of purpose and its continued insistence on quality without compromise.

• Founded 1896 by Paul Avril in the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône
• The founding Paul Avril contributed to drafting France's first AOC regulations, enacted in 1936
• Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC was the first appellation in France to receive formal AOC status
• Estate known alternately as Paul Avril et Fils, reflecting its multigenerational family identity

Vincent Avril, known formally as Paul-Vincent Avril, joined the estate in 1987 and has accumulated more than 30 vintages of experience guiding Clos des Papes. He represents the fourth generation of Avril family ownership, and his approach centers on a coherent vision in which terroir expression consistently takes precedence over stylistic effects or market trends. Revue du Vin de France recognised this sustained standard by naming him Winemaker of the Year for 2026. The estate produces a single red cuvée and a single white cuvée, a deliberate choice that concentrates all effort and all fruit from the estate's diverse parcels into two definitive expressions rather than fragmenting production into multiple special releases.

• Vincent Avril joined the estate in 1987 and has steered it for more than 30 consecutive vintages
• Named Winemaker of the Year 2026 by Revue du Vin de France
• Fourth-generation family ownership with Paul-Vincent Avril as current steward
• No special cuvées produced; a single red and single white Châteauneuf-du-Pape represent the entire estate output

Clos des Papes farms 40 hectares spread across more than 30 individual parcels scattered throughout the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, a fragmentation that is deliberate rather than incidental. Approximately 31 hectares are planted to red varieties and 4 hectares to white varieties, with the remaining area contributing to the estate's blending and farming strategies across varied soil types. The holdings span the rocky galets roulés of La Crau, sandy soils in the western and southeastern sectors where the estate's best Grenache vines grow, as well as limestone and gravel zones. This diversity of terroir is considered essential to the complexity of the final blends, allowing the estate to draw on contrasting soil structures, drainage profiles, and microclimate exposures each vintage. The estate has been certified organic since 2011, applying this commitment uniformly across all parcels.

• 40 total hectares across more than 30 parcels; 31 hectares red varieties, 4 hectares white varieties
• Key soil types include rocky La Crau galets, sandy western and southeastern zones, and limestone-gravel areas
• Best Grenache vines planted in sandy soils in the western and southeastern parts of the appellation
• Certified organic viticulture since 2011, applied across all estate parcels

The winemaking philosophy at Clos des Papes is defined by restraint and by the refusal to impose a house style that overrides what the vintage and the land provide. Grapes are hand-harvested, completely destemmed, and fermented using indigenous yeasts without commercial additions. The red blend is built around roughly 55 to 60 percent Grenache, 20 to 30 percent Mourvèdre, approximately 10 percent Syrah, and the balance from other permitted varieties. Ageing takes place in large, older neutral foudres for 18 months, with no new oak introduced at any stage; some of these vessels are more than a century old. The 2024 vintage illustrates the estate's willingness to follow the vintage rather than impose a formula, with Mourvèdre rising to 45 percent of the red blend and the wine cropped at a severe 16 hl/ha, producing a wine at 15.1 percent alcohol. Even the cork supply reflects this ethos of continuity, with the estate sourcing from the same Portuguese producer since 1926.

• Reds built on 55-60% Grenache, 20-30% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, plus other permitted varieties; all destemmed
• Fermented with indigenous yeasts; aged 18 months in large neutral foudres, no new oak at any stage
• Some foudres in use are over a century old, preserving a neutral, oxygen-permeable ageing environment
• Corks sourced from the same Portuguese supplier continuously since 1926

Clos des Papes stands as one of the clearest arguments for the greatness of Châteauneuf-du-Pape as a fine wine appellation. Its historical connection to the formation of France's entire AOC system gives it a significance beyond its own label, and its sustained critical standing, including a 100-point score from Robert Parker for the 2016 vintage and 99-plus points from Wine Advocate for the 2023, confirms that this significance is matched by the wines in the glass. The estate's single-cuvée approach is increasingly unusual in an appellation that has seen a proliferation of prestige releases, and it sends a clear signal about where the family's priorities lie. For students of the Rhône, Clos des Papes also provides an instructive case study in how a blend-dominant, multi-parcel appellation can achieve consistency and complexity without sacrificing vintage expression or terroir transparency.

• 2016 vintage received 100 points from Robert Parker, one of the rarest honours in the appellation
• 2023 vintage received 99+ points from Wine Advocate critic Yohan Castaing
• Founding family contributed to creation of France's first AOC regulations in 1936, shaping the national system
• Single-cuvée model and multi-parcel blending approach serves as a reference point for Châteauneuf-du-Pape study