Paul Avril et Fils

Clos des Papes is Châteauneuf-du-Pape distilled to a single statement. The Avril family — growers here across generations, now led by Paul-Vincent Avril — refuse the modern game of luxury cuvées: every year, the estate's parcels scattered across the appellation are blended into one red and one white, so the grand vin is never skimmed of its best fruit. Mourvèdre takes an unusually serious role beside Grenache, giving a wine of freshness, structure and savory length that ages among the finest of the southern Rhône. The name recalls the papal vineyard enclosure that gave the appellation its identity.