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| | Vintage | 2016 |  Label 1 of 1088 
 | | Type | Red | | Producer | Clos des Papes (web) | | Variety | Red Rhone Blend | | Designation | n/a | | Vineyard | n/a | | Country | France | | Region | Rhône | | SubRegion | Southern Rhône | | Appellation | Châteauneuf-du-Pape | | UPC Code(s) | 082501072151, 3760043540044, 3760043540075, 3760043540082, 3760043540099, 3760043540136, 3760043540167, 4000123808565, 4000130846475, 762413540022, 785255006693, 870700000415 |
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 93.9 pts. and median of 94 pts. in 102 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Eric on 4/17/2024: Châteauneuf-du-Pape with my boy!; 4/15/2024-4/17/2024 (Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Southern Rhône, France): 16% and advertises it a bit with some plum and faintly dried prune notes on nose. Mmmm, very ripe but also spicy, white pepper, a very full vintage, reminds me quite a bit of their truly excellent (albeit slightly controversial) 2003. (2883 views) | | | Tasted by rpk99 on 4/1/2024 & rated 96 points: May open more w some time but so silky smooth and wonderful, Lucious finish, one of the best, (3690 views) | | | Tasted by smveluv on 2/10/2024 & rated 93 points: This is really, really good. stylistically, much younger and more primary than I tend to appreciate. That being said, the fruit flavours here are so vibrant and lush. There are layers of different berry fruits and darker flavours supported by a subtle but strong vein of minerality and fantastic tannin / acid structure. Exquisitely balanced.
Look forward to watching this one evolve. A pleasure to drink now and I assume will evolve positively to gain some tertiary elements over the next couple decades. (4631 views) | | | Tasted by empire80 on 1/12/2024: Hard to score at this young age. Very dense, thick black fruit and thick tannin, hides its 15.5% pretty well. Bodes well.. (5387 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 11/3/2023 & rated 93 points: Three vintages of Clos des Papes side by side. The 1976 (86pts) has seen better days and this bottle was long past peak. Beside some shy notes of fruit and some faint tobacco and earthy notes, there is not much there. The 2007 (91pts) showed well, one of the better bottles I‘ve had as it was not completely cooked and overripe. Nice complexity and precision but still a bit too much on every level. The 2016 (93pts) was the best of the three. This bottle showed some of the intricate fresh blue and black forest fruit this vintage showed a few years ago, a nice minerality is there too. The acidity is on a good level but sadly there are some alcohol notes too. The 2016s were best right after bottling. (6832 views) | | | Tasted by anthroman on 10/29/2023: First of a case, ~4 hour decant. Big nose: violets, red and black fruits, tobacco, light garrigue. Much more elegant and high-toned on the palate than the nose suggests. The wine wears its size well and evolved into something quite pretty over the course of a bottle. If you've got a bunch and are feeling curious, no harm in checking in now. (5337 views) | | | Tasted by VAGenius on 10/25/2023 & rated 96 points: 60 minute decant. Nose of balsa wood, vanilla bean, and oak. Supple palate of fresh black raspberries, mulberry, red floral notes, cherry, rhubarb pie, and plenty of baking spices. Adds white pepper, red raspberry, more floral note and acidity as it develops. (2508 views) | | | Tasted by AlexPS on 10/8/2023 & rated 94 points: Decanted, aired for 3 hrs. Sediment. Nose: Beautiful 9/10. Flowers, cherry, garrigue. Palate: 8/10. Medium full body. Grippy tannin. Licorice at the end. Great acidity balanced with lots of fresh fruits. Finish: Long 9/10. Price: 9/10 ($85 in 2020). Enjoyment: 9/10. Would buy again: Maybe. Still 1 bottle left. Buzz factor: high. Didn't detect any hotness/alcohol, but this wine kicks. (6775 views) | | | Tasted by AAJR on 9/22/2023 & rated 95 points: Glad I tried this at a relatively young age. Lots going on here, an abundance of flavors. Full bodied with cherry, blackberry, spice & licorice. Long finish. NOTE TO SELF - Hold and see how this matures as only 2 bottles remain in cellar. (6169 views) | | | Tasted by Portland Seth on 9/17/2023 & rated 97 points: I've never indulged in hookers and blow, but that's what this wine evokes for me: pure hedonism. Lilies, lavender, red cherry, cedar smoke, garrigue, plum, limestone, tar. I feel almost manic drinking it. For the people with bad bottles giving this low scores: the danger is real. This could easily devolve into a hot mess. Some bottles might survive the 20 year mark but I suspect the majority won't. DRINK! (6009 views) | | | Tasted by Mleh on 9/8/2023 & rated 99 points: Red fruits, cedar, a little spice, flowers. Layers of flavor, beautiful silky tannins, nice acidity, very complex with a lingering finish. Incredible wine (4990 views) | | | Tasted by seijaro on 7/22/2023 & rated 96 points: Drank alongside a 2016 Bevan Tench Cab, it came in second among four drinkers: 97, 96, 96, 96. I was the odd man, gave this one 97 and the Bevan 96. What a beautiful CdP! After a Parker 3-hour double decant, it was explosive but integrated... just enormous, a monster. Wow. (6097 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 5/28/2023 & rated 91 points: Three 2016 Chateauneuf-du-Papes. I tasted them right after release and loved them for their freshness and purity, all the fresh and not too ripe blue and red forest fruits, the elegance and balance. I had no doubt that 2016 was an amazing vintage. After tasting these wines again, I'm no longer sure that the 2016 vintage will fulfill all the promises of greatness. Lots of dried fruit, a bit too much sweetness and alcohol heat and therefore not as balanced as before, especially for the Clos des Papes and Barroche Pure. Only the Usseglio Deux Freres showed (at least partially) the wonderful cool fruit and freshness that I associate with this vintage. The positive scenario would be that these wines are in a transitional phase, the negative that they won't return to their old glory. We didn't decant the wines, but followed them for a few hours with little change.
Clos des Papes 91pts
(my highest rating of this wine was 97pts right after release)
TN: The wine has lost most of the fresh and pure blue and red berry fruit it had on release. Of the three, this was the one with the most dried fruit flavors (which I don't like). It still had some fresh rhubarb and some red fruit underneath, as well as the more typical dirt and soil note to balance the sweetness and dried fruit. While the tannin quality is good, the great freshness of the early days is gone and the wine can't mask the alcohol perfectly. I had a double mag of this a year ago (rated 89pts) with the same results.
Barroche Pure 92pts
(my highest rating of this wine was 98pts right after release)
TN: The fruit was not as dry as in the Clos des Papes, but not as pure and fresh as it used to be. It seemed much riper, very very ripe, but not completely overripe. There are also lots of spice and chocolate notes as well as dried herbs. This is still a complex wine with very good precision. The tannin structure is of high quality, the balance with the acidity is no longer at the perfect level it once had (as well as the weightless quality it once had (but it's not heavy or cloying either). Unfortunately, there is some alcohol heat that wasn't there before. This is still a good, modern CDP, just not as "Pure" as it once was.
Usseglio Deux Freres 95pts
(my highest rating of this wine was 97pts right after release)
TN: Undoubtedly the winner in this lineup. This one hasn't lost it's cool, fresh, pure wild berry core and is still very fresh. Additional notes of fresh herbs and minerality, some chocolate notes. No longer the beautiful florals it once had. It is layered, precise and very well balanced thanks to an acidity that keeps everything in check. As with the other wines, the quality of the tannins is excellent. This is the only truly elegant wine of the three tonight, even if it showed a tiny hint of heat towards the end (but I'm quite sensitive to that). Rather modern style CDP. (7635 views) | | | Tasted by Wine G on 3/27/2023: I feel compelled to make a note here in light of how revered, and expensive this wine is.
My opinion is it is a total hot alcoholic mess, even more apparent on day 2. Too ripe and too high in alcohol, this is a big pass for me. (7334 views) | | | Tasted by forceberry on 3/24/2023 & rated 90 points: A blend of organically farmed Grenache (60%), Mourvèdre (25%) and Syrah (10%); the remaining 5% rounded out by a combination of Cinsault, Counoise, Muscardin and Vaccarèse. The fruit gets fully destemmed before the spontaneous fermentation. Aged in old, neutral oak foudres up to 18 months, depending on the vintage. Bottled unfiltered. 15,5% alcohol, 2 g/l residual sugar and 5,2 g/l acidity.
Very deep and slightly translucent black cherry color. The nose feels ripe and quite sweet-toned, but also somewhat understated with a bit reticent aromas of juicy black raspberries and dark plums, some blackberry tones, a little bit of herby garrigue, light meaty and spicy notes of Mourvèdre and a hint of wild strawberry. Despite its obvious ripeness, the overall feel is more savory and dark-toned rather than sweet and jammy. The wine feels dense, chewy and relatively focused on the palate with a full body and still pretty youthful and juicy flavors of dark berries and sweet plums, even some pruney tones, a little bit of meaty umami, light blackberry nuances, a hint of peppery spice and a touch of garrigue. The wine feels pretty muscular and nicely structured with its relatively high acidity and firm, moderately grippy tannins, and the high alcohol lends a bit of warmth to the palate. The finish is ripe, juicy and somewhat sweet-toned with some tannic grip and a lengthy aftertaste of juicy blackberries, some dark plummy tones, a little bit of earthy garrigue, light meaty - even gamey - notes, a hint of peppery spice and a red-toned touch of strawberry. The high alcohol makes the wine end on a moderately warm note.
A surprisingly firm and balanced vintage of Clos des Papes - even when the wine clocks in at whopping 15,5% alcohol. In our vertical of Clos des Papes 2020-2003, this wine was the first vintage that I found balanced enough to be enjoyable - all the younger vintages prior to this felt either too primary or just too soft, jammy or excessively alcoholic. Even if this wine suffers a bit from too high alcohol, it doesn't come across as too sweet, soft or dominated by candied primary fruit flavors. The overall style is quite similar to the 2018 vintage, which was similarly more savory and darker-toned than Clos des Papes normally is - only with better sense of structure and harmony. Although this wine is maybe a bit generic and predictable for a Châteauneuf-du-Pape at the moment, I feel this vintage shows enough aging potential to become something pretty impressive with enough age. However, at 109,96€ I feel the wine is simply too expensive for its quality. (5307 views) | | | Tasted by Psdycp on 2/27/2023 & rated 92 points: A layered bouquet filled with gingery herbs, ripe mulberries, dried flowers and gently toasted spices and almond. Refine and sophisticated. The spicy palate echoed the nose. Persistent, savoury with rounded texture on a full-bodied structure. Transition to the lingering and velvety finish is smooth. This needs an hour of decanting to release its finer phenolics and will continue to develop its complexity and harmony for the next 3 years. 92-94 pts. (7170 views) | | | Tasted by Zweder on 1/11/2023 & rated 97 points: Monthly Tasting Group HWS: Clos des Papes (By AH): Beautiful bouquet with red berries, blackberries and cherries and beautiful garrigue. On the palate beautiful fruits, juicy acidity and tannin with a beautiful bite, good bitterness, some pepper. This is a truly very great wine, well balanced, complex, focused and powerful. I would not be surprised when this scores the perfect 100 around 2030. I have a few :). For now 97+ (9115 views) | | | Tasted by WineDuq on 12/19/2022 & rated 94 points: Informal notes, PnP. Really enjoyable CdP. Lots of red fruits on the nose along with some garrigue and charcuterie. Sweet, ripe medium bodied. Red fruits, mineral, balsam flavors. Very fresh, nice acidity. Really showed well. (7356 views) | | | Tasted by BallyJames on 10/7/2022 & rated 96 points: Very young still with direct fruit. A lot of dark berries as blackberries, overripe raspberries and plums. Well integrated alcohol, several layers of fruit and long finish gives a tell about a probable long life and great future ahead of this one. (7904 views) | | | Tasted by valedeniro on 5/11/2022 & rated 94 points: Hedonistic wine,but not the masterpiece I was expecting.Initially restrained nose,but after prolonged aeration it displays beautiful floral aromas, alongside kirsch liqueur,dark plums,white pepper and garrigue.Not particulary deep,but with fine-grained tannins that are not yet completely integrated.This needs for sure another 5-6 years to develop nuance and become more expressive,but I dont see this anywhere near the spectacular 2010. (11903 views) | | | Tasted by Cailles on 4/24/2022 & rated 84 points: From double magnum. No detailed notes taken. This was disappointing. I expected the wine to be like the regular 750 bottle was on release: fresh, pure blue and dark forest berries, floral aromas, complex earthy and herbal notes to compliment, not too much ripeness, creamy yet weightless, elegant and fine (I rated it up to 97 pts on release). Unfortunately, this showed very ripe, overripe and raisiny (which I don’t like at all). The structure was still impeccable, the complexity and precision were on a good level. It improved a bit with air but always stayed in that raisiny/overripe category. It didn’t feel like the same wine, to be honest. I will try to open another 750 to check if this was just an off bottle or if the 2016 vintage really is on a bad path. This was rather undrinkable.
Decanting: Not decanted, followed over four hours. Improved a bit with air. This would have needed 1-2 hours, ideally. Not sure what the normal 750 bottle needs at this moment. (9671 views) | | | Tasted by Seb Frefranc on 4/12/2022 & rated 95 points: First try was shortly after botteling. Now almost 4 years Kater second try (drank completely blind).
The wine has made quite some development. It presents pretty open directly after pulling the cork. Unmistakably, this is big Southern Rhone. Almost unmistakably, this is Clos des Papes. The nose shows a compott of cooked fruit, coffee and the typical "Avril herbs" . On the palate, this beauty is well structured. The acidity is amazing and brings a wonderful freshness to this beast featuring heavy 15.5% alc. I am very curious about the further development. Currently 95 points. (8173 views) | | | Tasted by BradA on 4/1/2022 & rated 94 points: Glorious.. best to give it air. The second night was a pumping beast. Just reminds me how good the Avril clan is. Consistent, powerful and well crafted.
Enjoy now or thru 2040. (7871 views) | | | Tasted by Vladutz on 1/30/2022: A clairement besoin de temps, je l'ai trouvé difficilement accessible. Mais le potentiel est là, super fruit, beaucoup de fraîcheur, on sent bcp le mourvèdre à ce stade. Tannins magnifiquement soyeux et longueur impressionnante. (8326 views) | | | Tasted by ayalao3 on 1/9/2022 & rated 96 points: Tasted twice. (7946 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, The Riches and Richness of Chateauneuf-du-Pape (Dec 2019) (12/1/2019)
(Clos Des Papes Châteauneuf-du-pape Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Hemming, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/10/2018)
(Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, LE MILLÉSIME… The 2016s from the Southern Rhône (Part 1) (8/28/2018)
(Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, 2016 Châteauneuf-du-Pape: The Beat Goes On (Jul 2018) (7/18/2018)
(Clos Des Papes Châteauneuf-du-pape Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jeb Dunnuck
JebDunnuck.com, France, Southern Rhône: The Elegant and Lively 2015s and Heavenly 2016s (10/19/2017)
(Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape) Login and sign up and see review text. | By Richard Hemming, MW
JancisRobinson.com (10/10/2017)
(Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape Red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Matt Walls
Decanter, Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rhone EP 2016 (10/8/2017)
(Clos des Papes, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Rhône, France, Red) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous and JancisRobinson.com and JebDunnuck.com and Decanter. (manage subscription channels) |
| Clos des Papes Producer website - Read more about Clos des Papes
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)2016 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape“From 35 ha in CdP which are spread out among 18 different parcels, the vines ave 40 yrs of age.” Typically, “65% Grenache, 20% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, & 5% other ten varietals permitted; Destemming takes place only when necessary. Vinification takes place in temp-controlled, tile-lined cement tanks & lasts between 4-6 weeks depending on the vintage. The following Spring, the wines are moved into foudres of varying ages (3 yrs to 40+ yrs) where they will age for the next 15 months or so before a final racking & transfer to a large blending tank where the entire production will rest together for one month prior to being bottled unfined & unfiltered. Only one bottling takes place, so bottle #1 resembles bottle #5,000 that also resembles bottle #85,000, etc. as much as possible.” 15.5% ABV; 7,000 cases produced, 750 cases imported.
100 pts ea Jeff Leve (9/18/18) & Dunnuck (8/28/18) + his #20/Top 50 ’18 Reds,
98 Decanter (Walls, 10/8/17),
97+ WA (Czerwinski, 8/31/18),
97 ea WS (Molesworth, 3/31/19) & Vinous (Raynolds, 12/1/19),
19/20 La Revue du Vin de France (1/1/19),
17++/20 JancisRobinson.com (Hemming, 10/10/18), and
6*/5 drinkrhone.com (10/’18)! ™[I show 5* as the max since 6* is virtually never awarded].
Red Rhone Blend Read about the different grapes used to produce red and white Rhone wines
On CellarTracker, Red Rhone Blend is the term for a wine consisting of two or more of the traditional 13 Southern Rhone grape varieties. Typically it's the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre or Cinsault grapes, but can also contain the Muscardin, Counoise, Clairette, Bourboulenc, Picpoul, Roussanne, Terret Noir, Picardan or Vaccarese grapes.
A 'food' wine. Lacking pretension and intended for local consumption with local cuisine. Lacks the 'high' notes on a Bordeaux, more earthy and sharper so often a better partner to meat dishes with a sauce. France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comRhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Rhone Valley The Rhône Valley/Le Vins de la Vallée du Rhône (Comité Interprofession des vins AOC Côtes et vallée du Rhône)
### Wine Scholar Guild's Rhône valley vintage charts & ratings ###Southern Rhône Guide to the wines, wineries and appellations in the Southern Rhone Valley
Châteauneuf-du-Pape Châteauneuf-du-Pape Appellation - Read more about Chateauneuf du Pape
Another site on this appellation
Vineyards on weinlagen-info
"As I have written many times in the past, the sweet spot for drinking Châteauneuf du Papes is usually the first 5-6 years after the vintage. Then they seem to go through an adolescent, awkward, and sometimes dormant stage, only to re-emerge around year 10-12, where the majority of wines are often fully mature. The best of them will continue to hold on to life (but rarely improving) beyond 15-20 years. It is only the exceptional Châteauneuf du Papes that will evolve for 20-25+ years, and those are indeed a rarity. However, things may be improving dramatically in terms of the longevity of Châteauneuf du Pape, although Grenache-dominated wines, the vast majority of wines produced in the appellation, are wines that do not have the polyphenol (extract and tannin) content of top Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots, or Syrah-based wines. Nevertheless, the younger generation in Châteauneuf du Pape has taken seriously the farming in the vineyards. There are more organic and biodynamically run vineyards here than in any other appellation of France. The yields, which were already low, are even lower today (20-35 hectoliters per hectare), and of course, the proliferation of top luxury and/or old-vine cuvées gives a significant boost to the number of wines that will evolve past 25 or 30 years. The advantage of these wines is their broad window of drinkability." - Robert Parker
Vintage Chart 1978 to Today
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