Yields are always low at Clos des Papes, but this was Vincent Avril's biggest harvest since 2007, with yields of 25hl/ha. A tasting of various different blends highlighted the part played by each main variety, but the final blend shows a young wine that is already aromatically harmonious, bright and detailed. It's fuller-bodied than an average vintage, deep yet fresh. It has a powerful tannic and acidic framework this year, but the wine is very well balanced and very long, with a sublime freshness. An effortlessly brilliant Clos des Papes.
Tasted by Matt Walls (at En primeur tastings, Rhône, 09 Oct 2017)
Part of Producer profile: Clos des Papes

The 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape is one of the two or three candidates for the wine of the vintage. An extraordinarily great wine, the 2006 is far superior to the 2005, which was amazing, and while made in a different style, is as great as the 2003, and such legends as 1990 and 1978. Fashioned from a minuscule 21 hectoliters per hectare, and tipping the scales at 15.2% natural alcohol, the 2006 boasts a dense ruby/purple color to the rim, in addition to an extraordinary bouquet of melted licorice, spring flowers, raspberries, black currants, spice box, and earth. In the mouth, it is utterly profound – full-bodied and multidimensional with astonishing purity, length, equilibrium, and intensity. This is a superb vintage for the Avrils, and Vincent deserves huge accolades for producing a wine of such incredible intensity and complexity. Think of Clos des Papes as a Chateauneuf du Pape with the complexity of a top-notch grand cru Burgundy from the Cote de Nuits.

Pulled from my cellar (purchased on release), the 2006 Châteauneuf-du-Pape is drinking brilliantly, and this vintage always seems to deliver. Rocking notes of kirsch, black licorice, cured meats, black olives, and garrigue all give way to a ripe, perfectly balanced, seamless effort that’s right smack dab in the middle of its prime drinking plateau. It opens up nicely with time in the glass, and while fully mature, it’s going to continue drinking great for another decade, at which point it should have a gradual decline.

Foudre #1 ("the fine one," according to Avril): Bright red. Intense strawberry and raspberry on the nose, with subtle garrigue and minerals adding complexity. Silky red fruit flavors show seductive spice and floral pastille qualities. Finishes with great persistence. Foudre #2 ("the tannic one"): Ruby-red. Bright red fruit aromas, with a deep undercurrent of licorice adding seriousness. The palate shows very spicy bitter cherry and dark berry liqueur flavors, chewy tannic grip and a long, vibrant finish. If this is Avril's idea of tannic in 2006, the final wine should be a supple beauty. Foudre #3 ("the concentrated one," from 80-year-old vines cropped at15 hl/ha): Inky ruby. Rich cherry and cassis aromas, with a deep tapenade quality adding complexity. Sappy, sweet and packing major dark berry punch, this clocks in at 16.5% alcohol, but there's no obvious heat. An approximate blend: "I hate doing this, but why not," said Avril, who doesn't believe that on-the-spot blends are accurate reflections of what winds up in the bottle. But this was his idea, not mine! Dark ruby. Powerful kirsch and blackcurrant aromas, with exotic licorice and fresh floral character expanding with air. Pliant dark berry and bitter cherry flavors carry through the long, sappy finish. A balanced, sweet powerhouse from this vantage point, with the concentration to age for at least a decade or two.

Bright ruby. Highly expressive aromas of raspberry, cherry, lavender, smoked meat and minerals. Racy and sharply focused, with juicy red and dark berry flavors, silky texture and a gentle candied floral quality. Impressively pure and balanced, with outstanding finishing clarity and lingering sweetness. Does this ever really finish? By no means a blockbuster, but delivers very serious palate impact. Josh Raynolds

This has terrific purity, with a stunningly pure beam of cassis holding sway over fruitcake, melted licorice and incense notes. Shows impressive density for the vintage, but this is suave, elegant and seamless through the finish, with terrific underlying minerality. JM

Another great year – as good as 2005 and 2007 for Avril. Deep crimson. Some gaminess on the nose and absolutely delicious now. Great roundness and energy. Great complete wine already drinking beautifully. Spice and lift and masses of fruit. Polished and gorgeous now.

Earthy, spicy, and with a vanilla scent that suggests Rioja, although there is no new oak here. Gorgeous medicinal note on the finish and outstanding ripeness and balance with fine, chalky tannic weave giving plenty of grip, even now. Warm but integrated structure. A great reference for Châteauneuf. (RH)