Description
Domaine Brun-Avril, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
If you were to learn that the Avril family (1) has perhaps the longest viticultural history—almost 700 years—of any winemaking clan in Châteauneuf-du-Pape; (2) farms Grenache vines that are more than a century old; and (3) parlays those coveted holdings into just a single bottling each vintage, you’d expect that wine to be one of the absolute best the appellation produces, right? Right indeed, and you wouldn’t be faulted for thinking it’ll come with an astronomical price tag.
But there you’d be wrong, because Brun-Avril’s Châteauneuf-du-Pape, despite the fact that it’s an object lesson in the gorgeous, silken beauty of Grenache in this hallowed terroir, is priced to compete with the entry-level bottlings of estates holding not even a tenth of the history here. I know we hammer away at value quite often but rarely does that word carry as much meaning as it does today. The Avrils are, in our eyes, no less than the Chaves of the Southern Rhône. And while the raw materials might be different, today’s wine offers as much complexity, class, and age-worthiness as those legendary bottles to the north. You can read on about the estate and the vineyards, but if I were you, I’d put that off for a minute and first purchase a few bottles. Opportunities like this don’t come around often, and our inventory won’t last long—less than 250 cases were produced for the entire globe!
Given the Avril family’s mind-bogglingly long history in the village, the Brun-Avril estate itself only began in 2008. Jean-Jacques Brun is the son of Juliette Brun (née Avril), whose Domaine Juliette Avril is one of the most celebrated in Châteauneuf. Late in life, Jean-Jacques inherited five hectares of vines. Although he built a career outside of the wine business, Jean-Jacques made the commitment, along with his wife Nathalie, to focus wholeheartedly on their prized family heirlooms. They both committed to two years of study at a viticultural school before stepping into their newly acquired vineyards.
Jean-Jacques and Nathalie’s inheritance consists of two holdings at either end of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape appellation. In their more northern parcel, Grenache vines now over 100 years in age plunge their roots deep into sandy limestone overlain with the village’s famous rounded pebbles known as galets. A small portion of Mourvédre is planted here to promote plant diversity, and it brings a subtle anchoring bass tone to the estate’s wine. Their Syrah vines lie in the south of CDP, planted on a silt and clay hillside. Their estate may technically be new, but they call upon centuries of familial know-how. Their style is firmly traditional, with organic farming and aging taking place exclusively in large, neutral vessels. Few appellations have felt the blow of climate change quite like Châteauneuf has, with many wines approaching almost Port-like levels of concentration and alcohol. Even in pre-climate change days, the best CDPs retained a streak of freshness to balance the sultry richness of Grenache, and Brun-Avril follows firmly in that mold.
There may be a dollop of Syrah and Mourvédre in the blend here, but those centenarian Grenache vines are the stars of the show. Serve this in a Burgundy glass and really let the aromatics shine. It pours a limpid ruby red, giving way to an explosive nose of lusciously ripe raspberry, boysenberry, Bing cherry, cassis, rose, dusty rocks, leather, a smoky mineral throughline, and the Châteauneuf’s signature garrigue spice. It’s incredibly lush and enveloping on the palate, with gently building tannins and zip of salty acidity bringing refreshment and verve. Intense, almost sweet tones of cassis, black cherry, and more woodsy spice carry through to the palate. In sum, it pulls off an incredible balancing act of being at once rich and vibrant, the sort of pleasure-loaded yet serious wine that simultaneously begs to be drunk now and laid down for many years to come. It is, in short, one of the best Southern Rhône wines we’ve ever offered here. We’ll be squirreling away as much as we can for our personal stashes, and we strongly recommend you do the same.
