Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc 2024

This exceptional Clos des Papes Blanc 2024 is a luminous, pale golden yellow wine of crystalline clarity that promises immense depth and substance right from the glass. On the nose, it reveals a striking complexity and purity, opening with a bouquet of clover and chamomile that gives way to cool mint, roasted almonds, and a juicy, fleshy depth of ripe melon, pear, and white peach, all balanced by the freshness and aromatic tension of citrus notes, kumquats, and fine fennel seed. This Blanc unfolds on the palate with solid power and impressive density without ever feeling heavy; instead, its silky, full-bodied mouthfeel is carried by a vibrant, precise acidity—the deliberate result of forgoing malolactic fermentation. Crafted from a meticulously blended cuvée of Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, and Picardan, the whole bunches were co-pressed and fermented in cement vats at a controlled 18–21°C over four weeks, followed by five months of maturation in large wooden foudres without any bâtonnage or malolactic aging. The result is a wine of impeccable fruit purity, fascinatingly elegant texture, and an unadulterated expression of terroir that culminates in a long, mineral finish of great aromatic persistence, lingering with citrus peel and herbal spice. Marking Paul-Vincent Avril’s 38th vintage at Clos des Papes, this 2024 release is characterized by extreme concentration due to a remarkably low yield of just 16 hl/ha—well below the strict AOC limit of 35 hl/ha—uniting power and finesse into a Grand Cru caliber wine that provides great pleasure now but will truly reach its peak maturity in 10 to 20 years.