Chateauneuf-du-Pape: Clos des Papes
I recently had the chance to tuck into a couple of bottles of great Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Clos des Papes, made by Paul and Vincent Avril. These guys make terrific Chateauneuf, big bold and ripe but still with freshness and fruit. A dozen years ago I had a great trip to their cellars with Olivier Hickman [www.wine-uncovered.com] and we were treated to a mini-horizontal from 1997 back to 1990 – the later an utterly fabulous wine. Their white Chateauneuf is also fascinating and ages wonderfully.