Clos des Papes 2020
AOC Chateauneuf du Pape

Presse / Kritik
Decanter: 98 / 100 Punkte
"A very Clos des Papes vintage, says Vincent Avril, and I know what he means - a vintage that delivers the kind of fresh, elegant wines that this estate is famous for. A tasting of several foudres point to a wine with natural, easy balance. The Mourvedre is excellent here this year, and adds great depth to the fresh and delightful Grenache that has notes of black tea, black cherry and iron. Elegant and very fine. Drinking window 2023-2042"
J. Livingstone-Learmonth: 5 / 6 Sterne
(Leading Chateauneuf du Pape 2020: "beauty, symphonic, silky, aromatic")
"30 hl large barrel with the blend: Dark red; plums, live red fruits, raspberry along with laurel, herbs on the nose. The palate holds elegant gras, has a silky feel, suave length, is aromatic, rose-like, floral. The tannins have top notch refinement. This is a beauty, a wine with foundation and a Pinot leaning. It declares early then becomes more cautious. It’s very pretty, with stylish gras, balance, fresh length, is symphonic, holds most entertaining juice. 28 years “It’s the sort of vintage to accompany pigeon, lamb, whereas the 2019 is one for game stews, hare or wild boar stew, venison,” V. Avril. 2047-49"
Wine Spectator: 97 / 100 Punkte
"Beguiling, with a plume of black tea and incense leading off, followed by warmed black cherry reduction, cassis, melted black licorice, warm earth and singed tobacco and garrigue accents. Offers breadth and depth with a seamless feel, capped by a subtle mineral edge that lingers lengthily amid the beautiful fruit."
Falstaff: 98 / 100 Punkte
"Ein Duft von Kräuterbitter und Orchideenhaus, fast wie einTraminer blumig im Duft, aber auch Schokolade, Rumrosine, und Garrigue-Noten. Im Mund sind Stoff und Körper sehr dicht ineinandergewoben, der Gerbstoff ist feinkörnig und saftet trotz hoher Dichte sehr gut ab, unterlegt von intensiv taktilmineralischen Noten. Geschmeidiger Ausklang mit ausgezeichneter aromatischer Länge."
J. Dunnuck: 94-96 / 100 Punkte
"Looking at the reds, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape is a silky, elegant wine that shows the vintage to a T. I was able to taste through all the foudres of the cuvée as well as one that’s a final blend, with all showing beautiful red and black fruits, peppery garrigue, and floral nuances. The purity of fruit is remarkable, and this will be a medium to full-bodied, finesse-driven, yet still concentrated vintage for this cuvée that readers will love."
Wine Advocate: 96-98 / 100 Punkte
"Proprietor Paul-Vincent Avril expects to bottle 100,000 bottles of something approximating this "final blend," tasted out of foudre. A blend of 55% Grenache, 35% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah and other permitted varieties, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape looked exceptional on this day, offering up scents of framboise and kirsch alongside dried flowers and Asian spices. Full-bodied yet weightless, silky and long, this is special stuff, complex and balanced. Like many of the producers I visited in late 2021, Paul-Vincent Avril seemed happy to receive a visitor after so many months of virtual isolation. "We've had a good summer—not too hot," he said. The estates parcels were, however, badly affected by frost in the spring. His team began picking on September 20, paused over the following weekend for rain, and he expected them to finish on October 2. "The phenolic maturity is there, the sugars are there," Avril said. "No, it won't be like 2019, but I think we will come in around 14.5–15 degrees [of alcohol]. I think, I don't like to say before the vintage is finished." Of the vintages reviewed here, Avril said he finds the 2019 "more powerful and rich," comparing it to 2016 and 2007, whereas he calls the 2020 "really elegant." Clos des Papes farms 24 different parcels in the appellation, and Avril said they all bring something important to the blend. "Chateauneuf de Pape is a blend—a blend of grapes and a blend of the terrois."

Das Weingut
Zitat J. Livingstone-Learmonth: "Gold standard estate, joy to taste only one red, one white, so good blending is crucial. The yields are always very low – not much more than 20 hl/ha, which serves to concentrate the red wine, and there is an above average emphasis on the Mourvèdre, all planted in clay soils. The blend is now usually 55% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 5% various including white grapes, having been 65% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 5% various including white grapes into the early 2010s. The 2014 red was utterly charming, a real en finesse ****(*) beauty, while the 2015 is logically a bolder, more demanding ***** wine, requiring patience. The ***** 2016 red is deep and long, a vintage that will age extremely well. The whites drink well in their first couple of years, then back off, close down, and emerge as more complex, stimulating wines around seven years' old; they live well and deserve a top table accompaniment."