October 22, 2025
Clos des Papes 2023 - Hot new release
2023 Clos des Papes - A top vintage
99+ Points - Wine Advocate
“layered and textured, it’s denser than usual, with a more pronounced structure and a lovely, fleshy core of fruit. Concluding with an ethereal, saline and weightless finish, this is a strong candidate for wine of the vintage—one that should evolve with grace over the coming years to attain a likely perfect score”
Clos des Papes is one of the great names of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, a true benchmark for classic southern Rhone winemaking. Founded in 1896 by Paul Avril and now run by his son, Paul-Vincent, the estate has perfected the art of balance—combining tradition, precision and unwavering respect for its historic terroir across more than 30 organically farmed parcels.
Producing just one red and one white, Clos des Papes focuses entirely on purity and harmony rather than power. The red, typically Grenache-led with Mourvedre and Syrah, is aged in old foudres to preserve finesse and aromatic depth. Silky, refined and built for long aging, it remains a timeless reference point for the appellation, embodying the soul of Chateauneuf-du-Pape with grace, structure and quiet confidence.
The 2023 Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape is a masterful expression of the vintage, showing greater depth and definition than usual. Aromas of red berries, blood orange, violet and sweet spice unfold beautifully, leading to a layered palate of refined power and silky structure. A year marked by ideal balance between ripeness and freshness, 2023 has delivered a Clos des Papes of exceptional poise, purity and aging potential, perhaps one of the estate’s finest in recent memory.
Scoring 99+ points from The Wine Advocate, which praised it as “a strong candidate for wine of the vintage—one that should evolve with grace over the coming years to attain a likely perfect score,” this is a remarkable release.
We all know 100-point vintages soar in price, making now the perfect time to add this epic Chateauneuf-du-Pape to your collection. Don’t miss it.
Clos des Papes Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge 2023
€69.50* In Bond per bottle
99+ Points | Wine Advocate
The 2023 Chateauneuf du Pape from Clos des Papes is exquisite, wafting from the glass with a captivating bouquet of sweet red berries, iris, dark cherries, menthol, blood orange and flowers. Medium- to full-bodied, layered and textured, it’s denser than usual, with a more pronounced structure and a lovely, fleshy core of fruit. Concluding with an ethereal, saline and weightless finish, this is a strong candidate for wine of the vintage—one that should evolve with grace over the coming years to attain a likely perfect score.
97 Points | Decanter, Matt Walls
Deeply coloured and quite dark in character, with damson and liquorice notes. It’s generous, full-bodied, quite spicy and fairly potent, with lovely bright, sappy acidity and very fine, soft tannins. There are some similarities with 2022 and 2020, though it’s not as punchy as 2022 nor quite as energetic as 2020. This should be very good, and will drink before both of these recent vintages. All destemmed, aged in old foudres. The estate had a good yield this year, at 25hl/ha.
*Prices are accurate as of the blog publication date and may be subject to change.