Clos des Papes Blanc 2020 (1.5L)

97 DE / 96 WS / 96 JD / 95 WA 

Citrusy and grapefruit-led thanks to the Bourboulenc. Touch of anise, touch of fennel, lovely acidity and freshness, with a gentle saline line. Generous but only just full-bodied, this shows liveliness and more depth than many white Châteauneufs this year. Long finish. No malolactic and no oak use. - Matt Walls, Decanter

Super fresh style, with fennel, lime, kiwi, white peach and honeysuckle notes all breezing through in unison and carried by lacy acidity through a well-detailed finish. This is approachable now for its brightness, but has the inner purity and sneaky length to age nicely as well. Drink now through 2032.-James Molesworth, Wine Spectator 

From a great vintage for the whites (as well as the reds), the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Blanc offers a classic, vibrant, medium-bodied style as well as lots of citrus and white grapefruit, a distinct, rocky, mineral character, good acidity, terrific overall balance, and a great finish. Give it a year and enjoy over the following two decades or more.-Jeb Dunnuck

Clos des Papes has white varieties in only three of its 24 vineyard parcels, but the resulting wine is a blend of all permitted varieties, in roughly equal proportions. The 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc is outstanding, offering up scents of pineapple and tangerine, coupled with floral overtones. Full-bodied but clean and zesty, it's somehow plump and rich, but paradoxically light and refreshing. I enjoy these wines young, but proprietor Paul-Vincent Avril opened a still-delicious 2001 during this visit, so there is an argument to be made for aging this wine. - JC, Wine Advocate