2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc
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Tasting notes
Round and elegant, the 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc bursts from the glass with lively aromas of honeysuckle, acacia, dried lemon and orange peel, white peach, mango and a pinch of fresh ginger. Full-bodied, oily-textured and concentrated, this is a delicious Clos des Papes Blanc. Already drinking splendidly today, it will provide pleasure over the next 10 years.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
Clos des Papes has white varieties in only three of its 24 vineyard parcels, but the resulting wine is a blend of all permitted varieties, in roughly equal proportions. The 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc is outstanding, offering up scents of pineapple and tangerine, coupled with floral overtones. Full-bodied but clean and zesty, it's somehow plump and rich, but paradoxically light and refreshing. I enjoy these wines young, but proprietor Paul-Vincent Avril opened a still-delicious 2001 during this visit, so there is an argument to be made for aging this wine.
From a great vintage for the whites (as well as the reds), the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc offers a classic, vibrant, medium-bodied style as well as lots of citrus and white grapefruit, a distinct, rocky, mineral character, good acidity, terrific overall balance, and a great finish. Give it a year and enjoy over the following two decades or more.
About the producer
Few estates have shaped the identity of Châteauneuf-du-Pape quite like Clos des Papes. For generations, the Avril family has remained devoted to a single benchmark cuvée, crafted from more than twenty vineyard parcels to express the appellation at its finest.
Product details
Picpoul, Bourboulenc, Grenache Blanc / Garnacha Blanca, Clairette
White
Dry