1998 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Paul and Vincent Avril produced just 27 hectoliters per hectare in 1999, after eliminating fruit on three different occasions: in August, at the harvest, and as the fruit was brought into the cellar. The harvest was done in two major installments: the estate began on September 14, then stopped for a week after the big rainstorm on September 19, ultimately finishing on October 6. Clos des Papes is typically made with about 30% mourvedre and syrah, and Vincent Avril noted that these varieties did very well in '99. "The trick is to get a thoroughly ripe but balanced wine at 14%, not one that too alcoholic," he told me. Clos des Papes is an especially food-friendly style of Chateauneuf; the Avrils make a point of picking before they get aromas of surmaturite Vincent Avril compares the '99 to the estate's '95-perhaps a bit lower in acidity but with riper tannins.

The Avrils describe '98 as "un annee puissant" with more similarity to '95 than to '90 owing to sound acidity. Yes, the grenache was superb in '98, says Vincent Avril, but the key to the wine may well be the high quality and spicy character of the mourvedre. At 14.5%, there was not really surmaturite in '98, adds Avril, and that's why the pH is healthy. The Avrils were concerned that their '98 has been underrated by early tasters. "The Chateauneufs that are true blends really can't be tasted early, especially when there's a strong mourvedre component [20% here, along with 10% syrah and 5% counoise, muscardin and vaccarese]," Vincent told me. The entire winemaking facility at Clos des Papes has been climatized in the past year, with the temperature now maintained at a constant 55oF; previously it ranged from as low as 44o in winter to as high as 68o in summer.