Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2020
Clos des Papes
Paul-Vincent Avril's Clos des Papes is routinely among the top wines of the southern Rhône, and the 2020 vintage is a benchmark. The blend of all thirteen permitted varieties creates a wine where no single grape dominates — the vanishing point made literal. Built for decades of cellaring but already captivating.
Kit Aromas
Nose
Dark berry fruit and crushed violets lead, with garrigue herbs and a subtle gamey quality adding savory depth. There is a whisper of cedar and warm stone beneath the fruit.
Palate
Concentrated yet remarkably refined. Blackcurrant and cherry dominate the attack, supported by fine-grained tannins and a mid-palate surge of mint and toasted spice. The texture is almost liquid silk — dense without heaviness.
Finish
Very long, with cherry and violet persisting alongside a gentle cedar and mineral fade. The tannins resolve beautifully, leaving the palate clean and wanting more.
- Varietal
- Grenache (dominant)
- Blend
- Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Counoise, Vaccarèse, and other traditional varieties
- Vineyards
- Multiple parcels across Châteauneuf-du-Pape, galets roulés soils
- Alcohol
- 14.6%
- Organic / Biodynamic
- No
Food Pairing
Braised lamb shoulder with herbes de Provence
Produced by the Avril family from vineyards scattered across the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation, this 2020 bottling blends all thirteen permitted grape varieties into a single cuvée that has defined the estate's philosophy for four generations.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment
Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso San Lorenzo 2021
Tenuta delle Terre Nere
Marc de Grazia's Terre Nere estate produces some of Etna's most expressive contrada wines, and San Lorenzo is a standout: old Nerello Mascalese vines rooted in ancient lava flows deliver a wine of rare transparency. This is not fruit-driven in the obvious sense — it is terroir speaking through fruit. Think Burgundy by way of a volcano.
Domaine de la Côte Pinot Noir Sola Tierra 2021
Domaine de la Côte
Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman's Sola Tierra block sits on diatomaceous earth soils that produce some of the most transparent Pinot Noir in California. This is a wine of direction rather than power — it knows exactly where it's going and arrives with grace. If you're still looking for California Pinot that can stand alongside Burgundy Premier Cru, start here.
Château Pibran Pauillac 2019
Château Pibran
Château Pibran punches well above its price in the 2019 vintage. Owned by AXA Millésimes (who also own Pichon Baron), it benefits from the same meticulous attention and top-tier terroir. The tension between ripe fruit generosity and classic Pauillac austerity makes it both immediately enjoyable and cellaring-worthy.
Luciano Sandrone Barbera d'Alba 2021
Luciano Sandrone
Sandrone's Barbera is always a masterclass in restraint and fruit purity. The 2021 vintage delivered ideal conditions in Piedmont, and this wine captures the variety's defining bright acidity alongside ripe, generous fruit. It over-performs for Barbera d'Alba — the kind of bottle that reminds you why this grape deserves a permanent place at the table, not just as Barolo's understudy.