Châteauneuf du Pape, Blanc, Clos des Papes, 2020
Saline, crispy grapefruit notes dominate the palate, with a background hint of spice. A fleshy greengage texture stops this being too linear, offering up a really lovely balance between depth of flavour and a cleansing freshness. A classic Clos des Papes white. A blend comprising 20% each of Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Clairette, Roussanne and Picpoul. As ever the blend is fermented and aged in steel tank sur lie before bottling in late spring after the vintage.
critic reviews
The 2020 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Blanc from Clos des Papes wafts from the glass with a grilled, reductive bouquet of toasted almonds, flowers and grapefruit. Full-bodied, fleshy and round, it's suave and seamless, with gentle tannic grip and gastronomic bitterness that carries through the long, precise finish. This is a vintage that reveals its full force and generosity while remaining beautifully framed by generous dry extract that lends a striking minerality and salinity to the whole.