Clos des Papes is one of the oldest and most respected estates in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The Avril family makes just one red and one white, both straight Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Here you will find the red across many vintages, including magnums and double magnums, alongside the rare Clos des Papes Blanc.
Clos des Papes and the Avril family in Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The Avrils have grown vines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape since the seventeenth century. In 1896 Paul Avril first bottled the wine under the name Clos des Papes. The name refers to a walled vineyard below the ruins of the popes' castle that gave the village its name. The family also helped set up the appellation, recognised in 1936 as one of the first protected designations in France.
Paul Avril ran the estate from 1963. His son Paul-Vincent Avril joined him in the late 1980s after studying in Beaune and working abroad. He still runs Clos des Papes today and has kept to his father's approach: no special cuvées, no new oak, one wine per colour.
Vineyards, grapes and winemaking at Clos des Papes
The estate farms around 32 hectares spread over more than twenty parcels across the appellation. Soils range from sand and clay to the famous rounded stones, the galets roulés, which soak up heat by day and release it to the vines at night. Many of the vines are very old, around 80 years on average, and yields are kept well below what the appellation allows. Clos des Papes is certified organic.
The red Clos des Papes is roughly 65 percent Grenache, about 20 percent Mourvèdre and around 10 percent Syrah, with Counoise, Vaccarèse and Muscardin making up the rest. That high share of Mourvèdre gives the wine its structure and spice. The grapes are destemmed, fermented with wild yeasts and aged for about a year in large, old wooden casks. The wine is not filtered.
Red and white Clos des Papes: vintages and large formats
Red Clos des Papes is a wine for the cellar. Young, it shows dark cherry, garrigue herbs and firm tannins. It opens up after eight to ten years, and good vintages go on for much longer. The estate became famous worldwide when Wine Spectator named the 2005 its number one wine of 2007 in the Top 100. The range here runs from 2000 to 2024, including 2009, 2016 and the most recent harvests, plus magnums (1.5 litres) and double magnums (3 litres), in which the wine ages more slowly.
White Clos des Papes is made in small quantities. It blends almost equal parts Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Clairette, Picpoul, Bourboulenc and Picardan, is pressed as whole bunches and is made without malolactic fermentation. Young, it is fresh, floral and citrus-driven, and with age it turns rounder and picks up notes of honey.
To compare with other wines from the appellation, see our Châteauneuf-du-Pape page. For a different, Mourvèdre-led take, look at Château de Beaucastel, and the rest of the southern Rhône has its own page.
Frequently asked questions about Clos des Papes
Who owns Clos des Papes?
The estate has always belonged to the Avril family. It is run today by Paul-Vincent Avril, son of Paul Avril.
How long can you age Clos des Papes?
The red usually needs eight to ten years to open and can develop for twenty years or more in good vintages. Magnums age more slowly. The white can be drunk young or kept for a few years.
Is Clos des Papes the same as Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes?
No. Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes is a separate estate in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Clos des Papes belongs to the Avril family and has no connection to it.
What food goes with Clos des Papes?
The red works with lamb, game, braised beef and dishes with Provençal herbs. The white suits fish in butter sauce, poultry and aged hard cheese.