2003 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Vincent Avril showed me his 2004 from four different foudres, each a different blend of grenache, syrah and mourvedre, before presenting me with an approximation of the final wine.The point he was trying to make was that mourvedre is the key to the pure, floral character of Clos des Papes.Old vines also come into play here, as the average vine age is more than 50 years.Avril was trained at wine school in Dijon, as was his father, and the specter of Burgundy is strongly in evidence here."We have richness, power and the ability to age in Chateauneuf-plenty of tannins and lots of structure-but the challenge is always to get balance."Avril seeks to maintain freshness, purity and exuberance in his wines.He also admits that Clos des Papes can be a tricky wine in its youth."It's impossible to make a wine for aging that also is good to drink young," he explained.