Very juicy and lively in feel, with pepper, tobacco and bay leaf notes leading the way for a core of raspberry, bitter plum and red currant coulis flavors. The long finish lets the pepper and tobacco notes play out, with pleasant acidity embedded throughout. Very Provençal in feel. Best from 2017 through 2026. 4,000 cases made. (JM)

Looking at the 2013 Châteauneuf du Pape, which is still aging in foudre, Paul-Vincent normally does four separate blends and keeps them in separate foudre (one with more Mourvedre, one with more Syrah, etc.) before blending everything together prior to bottling. However, due to the miniscule crop in 2013, he was only able to do a single blend. Nevertheless, I was able to taste it from multiple foudres (and unsurprisingly, each showed dramatically different), with most rating in the low to mid-90s. From excruciatingly low yields and hitting 14.8% alcohol, it’s clearly an outstanding wine and has pretty, complex aromatics, excellent concentration, medium to full-bodied richness and lively acidity. There’s a slight Burgundian feel here, and I suspect it will be reasonably approachable in its youth, with 10-12 years of overall longevity. As always, I had a great visit with Paul-Vincent Avril, and he continues to fashion one of the most elegant and seamless wines in the appellation...His 2012 is certainly one of the shinning successes in the vintage, and his 2013 should also be outstanding, with a Burgundian-like texture and acid profile. (JD)

I tasted wines from a range of foudres and found them truly beautiful. It was the energy that was so remarkable after notably meaty, savoury aromas. Muscular, absolutely not heavy on the Grenache, these wines were very different from usual. Very ripe and cool but not skinny. Lovely polish but not over ‘made’. Admirably supple and refined. Even elegant. He says ‘burgundian’ (his highest form of praise). (19/20 points)