Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023

Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023 is a Grenache-led red from the Rhône with black cherry, orange peel, violet and mint in a dry foudre-aged frame. It has the Clos des Papes depth you expect from the Avril family. The 2023 feels especially fleshy, with a salty finish that keeps drawing you back.

About the Wine
Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023 comes from sustainably farmed vines spread across the appellation. The blend is built around Grenache with Mourvèdre and Syrah, drawn from parcels on galets roulés, sand and clay-limestone. That mix matters at Clos des Papes, as the estate bottles one main red rather than splitting the best parcels into prestige labels. The 2023 fruit profile reads dark and vivid, with black cherry and red beet notes sitting beside orange peel and violet. In the cellar, the grapes are completely destemmed before fermentation. The wine is aged entirely in foudre, which gives the fruit room to feel broad and textured. There is no small-barrel gloss in the way the 2023 presents itself. The dry finish carries a salty line, and the 14.5% alcohol sits inside a dense core of fruit rather than above it. The last impression is mint, dark cherry skin and warm stone.

Tasting Notes
The colour is medium ruby, with a brightness that suits the floral side of this Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2023. The nose moves through black cherry, red beet, blood orange, mint and violet, then adds a savoury note that recalls roasted game juices. The palate is medium to full bodied, with more density than many vintages of this bottling and a fleshy centre of Grenache fruit. Mourvèdre adds a firm edge to the shape, and Syrah brings darker spice through the finish. Drink from 2025 to 2048.

Food Pairing
Pour this with roast lamb, especially a shoulder rubbed with rosemary, garlic and black olive. The wine’s black cherry and mint notes also sit beautifully next to venison loin, pigeon or duck breast with a blood orange glaze. For a regional match, choose daube Provençale with olives, orange zest and herbs from the garrigue. Aged Comté, saucisson sec and pâté en croûte make a strong table for the salty finish and the wine’s savoury meatiness. Poultry also has a place here, especially guinea fowl with mushrooms and pan juices.

Producer
Clos des Papes has one of the clearest identities in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, as the Avril family focuses its reputation on a single red cuvée and a single white cuvée. Paul-Vincent Avril draws on parcels across the appellation, with rolled stone sites and sandier ground feeding the same Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape blend each year. The domaine puts its best red fruit into the main bottling, so a vintage like 2023 carries the estate’s full range of Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah expression. The style is rooted in finesse rather than volume, with floral lift and savoury depth appearing even in warmer years. This 2023 shows that signature clearly through orange peel, violet and a saline finish that feels very Clos des Papes. The estate’s compact range also makes the label unusually direct, since the name on the bottle points straight to the family’s central wine rather than to a hierarchy of cuvées.

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