2004 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Leather and liquorice – goût de terroir in full effect. Very savoury, and … oh dear. Corked. Very slightly. Second bottle is much purer in fruit, with bitter chocolate, dark olive. Superfine tannins, just enough acid to cleanse. Lively, still reverberant – yet not the most complex or satisfying of Clos des Papes, which might just make it too young – it does appear to be remarkably dark in colour. (RH)
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Perfumed violet and mushroom on the nose with sweet coffee scent and still-youthful redcurrant fruit on the palate. The tannin still has some fierceness on the palate, which gives a firm handshake on the finish. That tannin seems to have longer to go before it integrates fully with the rest of the wine. (RH)
Pungent, almost Riesling-like on the nose with toast and firmness on the palate. Acidity is still low but there is lots of ‘minerality’ and structure on this with quince and richness. He suggests turbot or Bresse chicken. Certainly drinkable now and very long. Toasty too. Avril regrets that too few white Châteauneufs are made to age. (JR)
The 2004 Chateauneuf du Pape has drunk well for most of its life and has tons of charm. Sweet cherries, kirsch, olive, spice, cured meats and licorice all emerge from this mature, elegant and layered Chateauneuf du Pape that's ideal for drinking over the coming 7-8 years.
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.