`He only makes a couple of wines, how long can this take?` In the end, Paul-Vincent Avril got a strong nomination for winemaker we would most like to spend more time with. The man is thoughtful, strong in his views and very clear in his aims. One can get a strong impression that from an early age he planned a career which led inexorably to the helm at Clos des Papes. Life is more chaotic than that of course,but his trajectory through the wine trade seemed to be an almost perfect preparation. Dodging an enormous tracked bulldozer excavating a new bottle cellar under his house (the source of a slightly worried look - he likes his house), we headed for the main hub of operations. 25 different plots are picked separately by forty local, highly paid, well trained pickers who sort as they go, and go if they don`t perform there is another triage at reception. Since 1991 all the grapes have been destemmed. Paul-Vincent has done a lot of microvinification experiments and now all varieties are co-fermented with something else for better integration. It was very instructive tasting the results of these ferments from large, old oak barrels, and then a blend of all of them, which turned out to be the most mineral of them all. 65% is Grenache, 20% is Mourvedre and only 10% is Syrah as Paul-Vincent is convinced it is too hot here to get the best out of the varietal. There are no super cuvee at this address. Chateauneuf is above all a blend, and Paul-Vincent is determined that all his customers taste the same wine. He doesn`t want to eat the rich, but isn`t particularly interested in making them special parcels of wine either. Needless to say, the wines are looking stunning.