Description
Domaine Juliette Avril Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022. New vintage.
Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvèdre blend.
Even wholesale prices for Châteauneuf-du-Pape (“CNDP” for short) are frequently above $70 these days (resulting in retail prices around $100+) so the idea of $60 CNDP at the retail level is becoming an extreme rarity/anachronism. In the supermarket retailers you might still find CNDP under $60 but those are industrial blends made from anonymous bulk wine bought on the open market, pumped into bottles with an invented-brand label slapped on. Conversely, the Domaine Juliette Avril Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2022 is made by Stéphan (photo below from the last time I saw him in May 2022), the grandson of the estate’s founder (Juliette Avril herself) and is as honest and authentic an artisan CNDP as you could hope to find and – with a bit of an extra effort! – a wine we can slide in just under $60. It’s classic CNDP with gregarious Grenache fruit leading the charge, deep and dark layers of intensity, chocolate-covered raisins, cherry liqueur, blackberry jam, licorice, tar, marzipan, cinnamon and black pepper notes, while the palate is very full but gilded with fine tannins making the mouthfeel substantial and persistent, gently firm, meaty and satisfying. Classic and pure CNDP with true artisan origins from the best terroirs of the region.
Drink now to 2030+
15.5% ABV
REVIEW BY JAMES SUCKLING
Thursday, January 4, 2024
Score: 93 POINTS OUT OF 100
Seductive nose of cherries, wild berries, plums, dried thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns and a touch of leather. It’s full-bodied with finely grained tannins. Layered with berries and spices on the mid-palate and a powdery texture. Harmonious structure with a compact finish. Grenache, syrah and mourvedre. Try after 2025
Stéphan Brun, inheritor, owner, and vigneron at Domaine Juliette Avril.
