The famous Galets roulés (‘rolled pebbles’) of Châteauneuf-du-Pape

Hidden Gems of the Rhône: Petit Vin d’Avril

There are few names in the world of wine quite as evocative as Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The small town kown for its Papal connections, 19 permitted grape varieties and its heavy-set, embossed bottles has forged a deserved reputation for producing the best red wine in the Southern Rhône (with an honourable mention to the small proportion of extraordinary whites it makes). There are many hallowed names within its lieu-dit like Domaine Vieux Télégraphe, Château de Beaucastel and Isabel Ferrando but if there was one that is Primus inter pares it is Clos des Papes.

Clos des Papes is the domaine of the Avril family and it is a name that is irrevocably linked with the history of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Records show Avrils as treasurers and municipal consuls going back to the 1700s. More recently Paul Avril, the original patriarch of the domaine, was one of the first producers in all of the Rhône valley to start bottling and selling their wine under their own name, the very first Clos des Papes being produced in 1896.

Not long after he was instrumental in the creation of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation contrôlée, the first in France in 1923. He was succeeded by his son, also called Paul in 1963 until his son, Paul-Vincent Avril took over in 1987. It is Vincent that truly cemented Clos des Papes’ pre-eminence amongst Châteauneuf-du-Pape producers.

His winemaking is informed by his training and travels: the elegance of Burgundian wines, the modern approach of the Australians and the precision and power of Bordeaux from his time at Mouton-Rothschild. His wines embrace both the past and the present and represent the best of the storied region.

But it is not his Châteauneuf-du-Pape I am here to tell you about. When you research Clos des Papes one thing comes up time and time again: that Vincent produces no ‘super-cuvée’ or prestige bottling that many do (and charge the earth for it) or some fancy single-varietal bottling (100% Grenache is the new vogue), he just makes two wines: a red Châteauneuf-du-Pape and a white Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

But that isn’t true. There is another, one described as ‘the best kept secret in the Rhône’, less a second wine and more of an under-study: the Petit Vin d’Avril.

Petit Vin d’Avril is a stunning wine, one where Vincent, freed from the constraints of the AOC is able to fully demonstrate his precocious winemaking nous. It is sourced from vineyards clusted along the river and is a mosaic of Grenache, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Mourvedre, Carignan and Cinsault. Non-vintage, it is made up of two-thirds from the most recent crop and a barreled-aged one-third from the previous one. It is a wine full of joie-de-vivre as the label illustrates: glorious notes of crushed strawberry, wild blackberry and dark plum, all kissed with spice. It is decadently structured, with melting tannins and a fabulous freshness that underpin the lively fruit perfectly. It can and should be drunk young to enjoy it in its primary, but do not be afraid to give it a decade in the cellar or more, and enjoy the gamey intrigue that will produce.

With the senior Clos des Papes setting you back £60-£70 a bottle, and mature examples even more, the much cheaper Petit Vin (around £20-£30) is an excellent way to experience the craft of a master winemaker expressing the local terroir as he sees fit. Ironically Petit Vin is often harder to find than the Grand Vin, made in smaller quantities and often sold to merchants on allocation. I remember finding out about it years ago and going cap in hand to the buyer’s desk to see if she could source some for me. She did but just a handful of cases which I turned around and sold to preferred clients. The most we ever got was twenty cases. Looking around the web it does pop up here and there so if you do need any guidance do contact me.

As gems go this is one of the best hidden, and most rewarding when you find it. Happy hunting.

Written by James Cole