Clos des Papes

Clos des Papes

Paul Avril (1873-1962) was one of the people behind the creation of the appellation.

In 1896 he started selling his wines under the name Clos des Papes. Régis Avril (1901-1987) supplied wines to two presidents of France, General de Gaulle and Georges Pompidou. Paul Avril (1937-2009) started working on the estate in 1963, first with his father and later with his son for many years. Paul-Vincent Avril (1965 -) attended wine school in Burgundy as a young man and when he returned to the estate in 1988 he had visions of finesse and elegance and he still considers these qualities to be the most important for a high-quality wine. Today the site covers 32 hectares. 3 ha. is with white varieties. There are 24 different plots spread across the city. One plot is located near the Pope's castle and is surrounded by walls (clos). From here came the name of the domain. Since 2011, the vineyards have been certified as "agriculture biologique"

Only one cuvée of white (10% of production) and red Chateauneuf du Pape is made.

Destalking has been total since 1991 and the entire production has been bottled on the estate since 1987.

The secret behind the high quality is a low yield. In the harvest years 2007, 2008 and 2009 the yield was 25, 17 and 19 hl/ha. Yield is minimized by green harvesting and by repeated sorting of the grapes during harvest. Clos des Papes is not a place for experiments. The aim is constantly to create a wine of very high quality that meets the expectations of Paul Vincent Avril himself and of his customers around the world.  For Avril, it is a sign of quality if the wine is recognizable throughout the vintages. 80% of production, approximately 100,000 bottles, is exported. It is no problem at all for Avril to sell his wines, even in times when the market is in crisis.

Chateauneuf du Pape Rouge

65% Grenache, 20% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah and 5% other.

Aged in thunder for 12-15 months.

Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc

Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Clairette, Bourboulenc and Picpoul. There is no wood involved.