2008 Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Production at the Avrils' estate has been off pretty severely the last three vintages, Vincent Avril told me in November. "In 2010, 2009 and 2008, yields were below 20 hectoliters per hectare," he said, "which is low even for us, with old vines and our regimen of crop-thinning." He was pleased with the extended growing season that '09 provided "because with 35 hectares spread across 24 parcels it isn't good if we have to rush things." Avril is satisfied with his '08 and believes that people are shortchanging the vintage. "Because of its balance, our '08 will be able to age for at least 15 years, probably longer. It will probably be at its peak at about age 10." He added that 2007 is not a year for impatient collectors, who he says should be focused on 2004, 2006 and 2008. As for 2009, Vincent thinks it "is a very good but not great year that will be showing complexity early. Our wine had a very long and slow fermentation so the aromatics are quite pronounced. And because of the low yield [just under 19 hectoliters per hectare] there's good power as well." For a bit of perspective, I asked him what he considered the most recent classic vintage for Chateauneuf du Pape and he named 2000 "because everything is in place and in harmony: rich but not too ripe, fresh but not too acidic, structured but not too tannic. Just balanced." Since 1991 all of the grapes here have been destemmed; the Avrils stopped filtering their wines after 1987.