2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

This historic domaine’s 40 hectares of organically farmed vines suffered mightily from the mildew of late spring 2018. Vincent Avril told me that they lost almost 70% of their typical yield, harvesting a mere 9 hL/ha after all of the sorting in the vineyard was completed. This, sadly, was a continuation of a losing streak for crops here, as yields were only 15 hL/ha (about 40% off of normal) in 2017, following a healthy, even abundant (for this estate) 25 hl/ha in 2016. The good news for 2017 is that the Mourvèdre, which is a big player at the domaine, according to Vincent, “was amazing, as good as we have seen in years.” Speaking of selection, Vincent likes to point out that “there is no second wine made here and we don’t sell off grapes, juice or wine, so our decision has to be made in the vines, not at a sorting table later. If it’s not high quality fruit it goes on the ground, not to be taken out at the winery.”

The 2016 here is a larger-scale wine than Vincent Avril typically makes, but it’s also extremely energetic, with the bones to ensure a long, positive aging curve. Avril compared it to his 2009, “but there’s also the structure of 2010,” referencing two recent vintages that he called “among the greats.” The high percentage of non-Grenache varieties planted in Clos des Papes’ 24 parcels, which comprise 35 hectares, has ensured that production has been less adversely affected than at more Grenache-dependent properties, but yields here have never been high, Avril pointed out. The 2016 harvest gave up 25 hectoliters of fruit per hectare, extremely low by the appellation’s regulations, which allow 35 hl/ha, and that, by the way, is very low by the country’s overall standards.