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2020 Domaine Durieu "Lucile Avril" Châteauneuf-du-Pape

2020 Domaine Durieu "Lucile Avril" Châteauneuf-du-Pape

97JS
96JD
94RP
$54.99

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97

James Suckling

Reviewed April 2023
Smelling this great Chateauneuf is like gazing into a deep chasm. Amazing complexity with aromas ranging from black raspberries through to candied orange, but also notes of raw meat and licorice. Super-concentrated, super-structured, but also more elegant than a wine built on this monumental scale can theoretically be. Extremely long, complete finish.

Professional Reviews

96

Jeb Dunnuck

Review Date: 11/2022
Lastly, and surpassing what the estate achieved in 2019, the 2020 Châteauneuf Du Pape Lucile Avril is based on 80% Grenache and 10% each of Syrah and Mourvedre that was brought up all in concrete tanks. It's the deepest ruby-colored wine in the lineup and boasts a brilliant perfume of pure blackberries, ground pepper, licorice, dried garrigue, leather, and Asian spice. Pure, seamless, incredibly elegant, and full-bodied, it's another straight-up gorgeous wine from this team that readers will love to have in their cellar.

94

Wine Advocate

Review Date: 09/2023
A step up from the regular cuvée is Durieu's 2020 Chateauneuf du Pape Lucile Avril, mainly old-vine Grenache, with just 10% each Mourvèdre and Syrah. Also made and aged in concrete, it delivers layers of black cherries, dusty earth and dried spices on the nose, while the full-bodied palate is supple and creamy-textured, and hints of licorice and peppery spice appear on the lengthy finish. (JC)

JLL

Drink Rhone

Review Date: 10/2023
Quite a full red robe; the nose has an air of raspberry, with a cool, leafy tone, a note of cherry stone tang. The palate gives an engaging run of red cherry, plum fruit with a well directed level of richness to underpin it. It finishes with discreet drive and increased intensity, the aftertaste on kirsch, lip smacking tannins, a note of sweet oak there. It’s well measured Châteauneuf, covers its bases well.

Staff Reviews

KM
Keith Mabry

Keith Mabry

K&L Buyer
Another great "GET" in our direct import portfolio are the wines of Domaine Durieu. This is a Chateauneuf house on the rise and they have continually impressed us since the 2015 vintage. The wines are sumptuous, rich and bold. They fit the profile for those looking for the classically rich styles that distinguish Chateauneuf du Pape. I would hesitate to lean too much into the description of "opulence" though. The 2020 Lucile Avril is named for the matriarch that married Henri Durieu uniting their two family estates. The wine is made using the oldest vineyard plots, many planted before the first World War all on the terroir of large rolled stones that add warmth and richness to this wine. The Lucile Avril is fleshy and rich, brimming with raspberry and blackberry fruit. It shows layered nuances of potpourri and anise along with tobacco and new saddle leather. The balance is seamless showing weight and intensity but no harshness. This is a new benchmark for one of the best producers in our portfolio.

Notes

Two estates became one in the 1970s on the marriage of the Avril and Durieu families. The Châteauneuf holdings belonged to the Avril side and many of the vines date back before the first world war. This cuvée is primarily Grenache with a small amount of Syrah and Mourvèdre rounding out the blend. The vines are on the famous galets soils (the big pudding stones) that make the region so famous. The grapes are all manually harvested with no destemming. The Grenache and Mourvèdre are aged in concrete tanks and the Syrah sees new oak for 12 months. The blend is a seamless expression of classic Châteauneuf flavors laced with gorgeous structure.

Details

OriginChateauneuf du Pape, Rhone, France
Type/VarietalRhone Blends
SKU1673403