Monday, November 28th, 2022
This Vintage Blew Us Away.
Simply Unreal.

Legendary Cult Classic
CLOS DES PAPES
Chateauneuf du Pape 2020

 "...showed brilliantly and is certainly one of the stars in the vintage... incredibly polished tannins, flawless balance... seamless." -Jeb Dunnuck

98 Points - Decanter
97 Points - Wine Spectator
96-98 Points - Robert Parker
96 Points - Jeb Dunnuck

This wine's past vintage pedigree for just Wine Spectator alone:

  • 2005 - #1 of 2007 & 98 pts
  • 2003 - #2 of 2003 & 97 pts
  • 2010 - #4 of 2012 & 98 pts
  • 2012 - #7 of 2014 & 97 pts
  • 2004 - #11 of 2006 & 96 pts
  • 2015 - #14 of 2006 & 98 pts
  • 2007 - #42 of 2009 & 97 pts

All well-deserved praise! This ages like a First-Growth:
Dear Artisans,

We trust you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We certainly did—we served this wine!

Yes, we 'should' be cellaring this wine more, but we didn't care because the wine was exploding from the glass. It was so good, I thought I communed with God while drinking it. Good LORD, it was sublime!

It was so sublime that we were compelled to spread the gospel and offer you a special 48-hour Cyber Week sale so you could have the same experience.

This is not like any other Chateauneuf-du-Pape. This exudes the same class and quality as if it were between a First-Growth Bordeaux, and a Grand Cru Cote de Nuits Burgundy.

The Clos des Papes estate is one of the most sought-after producers in the Rhone Valley, owned by the Avril family who have been making Chateauneuf-du-Pape since the 18th century. It is a reference-point estate, a superb cellar wine and one of the best wines you're likely to find from the as-yet-unrated 2020 vintage. It is a winery that focuses simply on making the finest Chateauneuf-du-Pape they can each year. There are no 'Super Cuvees' or Single Vineyard selections.

We love Chateauneufs with grilled and roasted meats, earthy vegetables, spicy bean dishes, herbs de Provence seasoning, BBQ chicken and more... in fact, if your local Japanese restaurant has a pork or chicken Katsu dish with that intense plum sauce on the side... try a sultry Rhone like this with that as well...delicious! If you haven't gotten into southern Rhones yet, this is the absolute top... Clos des Papes is cited as one of the World's Greatest Estates by Robert Parker in his seminal book by the same name.

The only negative thing about this wine is how very little there is available: a mere 800 cases are imported to the US, and we were only able to get 60 bottles to go around.

Cheers,
—James Tran
2020 Chateau Clos des Papes
Chateauneuf-du-Pape

98 Points - Decanter:
"A very Clos des Papes vintage,' says Vincent Avril, and I know what he means - a vintage that naturally delivers the kind of fresh, elegant wines that this estate is famous for. A tasting of several foudres point to a wine with natural, easy balance. The Mourvèdre is excellent here this year, and adds great depth to the fresh and delightful Grenache that has notes of black tea, black cherry and iron. Elegant and very fine." - Matt Walls (Sep 2021)

96-98 Points - Robert Parker's WA:
"Proprietor Paul-Vincent Avril expects to bottle 100,000 bottles of something approximating this "final blend," tasted out of foudre. A blend of 55% Grenache, 35% Mourvèdre and 10% Syrah and other permitted varieties, the 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape looked exceptional on this day, offering up scents of framboise and kirsch alongside dried flowers and Asian spices. Full-bodied yet weightless, silky and long, this is special stuff, complex and balanced." - Joe Czerwinski (May 2022)

97 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Beguiling, with a plume of black tea and incense leading off, followed by warmed black cherry reduction, cassis, melted black licorice, warm earth and singed tobacco and garrigue accents. Offers breadth and depth with a seamless feel, capped by a subtle mineral edge that lingers lengthily amid the beautiful fruit. Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Best from 2024 through 2040. 8,000 cases made, 800 cases imported." - JM (web only, 2022)

96 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape showed brilliantly and is certainly one of the stars in the vintage. Based on 55% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, and the rest Syrah and other permitted varieties, it shines for its elegance and purity, offering a wonderful core of red and black fruits, medium to full body, silky, incredibly polished tannins, flawless balance, and already complex notes of flowers, sappy garrigue, Provençal spice. It has the estate's incredible ability to bring wonderful intensity and richness while staying graceful and seamless. It reminds me slightly of the 2012, possibly the 2006, and while it already offers pleasure, it will evolve for 20+ years in cold cellars." (Nov 2022)
Please note: Artisan Wine provides the lowest pricing in a "direct from Chateau" purchase. We guarantee the condition and provenance of these wines, so that while there may be a few other sources listed on the web with lower pricing, their wines are either:

  • the starting bid for an auction of these wines and hence not a guarantee of the pricing listed

  • a consignment wine of unknown provenance from the Chateau

  • a wine or wines that has been purchased from the grey market and not directly from the Chateau

Our wines are always sourced straight from the Chateau through legitimate importers and distributors.
Only 60 bottles are available

Elsewhere: $160.00 btl

Our 48-Hour Sale:

$149.99 (1-2)
$139.99 (3-5)
$129.99 (6-11)
$119.99 (12+)
Ways to reach us: