Wine and Movie Pairing: Conclave des Pape
“If there was only certainty, and no doubt, there would be no mystery. And therefore, no need for faith.”
Gather your nearest and dearest, prepare the gray smoke… habemus papem! A new pope has been named, but not without some serious soul-searching from 118 Catholic cardinals from around the world. Conclave, a psychological thriller about the election of a new pope, gets its rightful wine pairing - the 2013 Clos de Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Conclave, based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris, covers the intricate events of a fictional papal conclave. The pope has died, and a leader of the Catholic world must be chosen by 118 cardinals from around the globe. Easier said than done, with a politically contentious group of cardinals ready to assume power for themselves. Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) has to herd ambitious cats as the Dean of the Conclave, but finds himself in the middle of everyone’s dirty laundry being publicly aired. Personalities clash, secrets are uncovered, and a new pope is eventually elected… but not without a major revelation (the last 20 minutes are incredible).
This is the movie I’ve been waiting all year to see, and it lives up to the hype. The screenplay by novel author Richard Harris and screenwriter Peter Straughen (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Goldfinch) is well paced and reveals its many layers right on time. Stéphane Fontaine’s sumptuous cinematography makes every frame look like a living Caravaggio painting - the many textures of the cold marble against red velvet and wool and the wet, rainy tiled floors of the Vatican seem to pop. Volker Bertelmann’s score thumps with classic thriller intrigue on a chamber music scale, giving us an intimate but pressing audio commentary to the action that unfurls. It makes sense that Bertelmann and director Edward Berger previously collaborated on the Oscar-winning remake of All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) - Berger’s camera captures the scene, but Bertelmann’s score is the friend in the next seat telling you ‘something’s up’ as intimate conversations turn up more secrets.
I would be remiss not to mention the stellar acting performances from the ensemble cast in this movie. As Cardinal Lawrence, Ralph Fiennes’ presence is warm and fair - one can see why Cardinal Lawrence was appointed the “field manager” to keep the world’s pre-eminent shepherds in line. As Cardinal Bellini and Cardinal Tremblay respectively, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow play American cardinals on two different ends of the political spectrum, but both are possessed by the idea of becoming pope. In a very male-dominated cast list (and balance of power in the Catholic Church, let’s be real), Isabella Rossellini’s Sister Agnes stands out for her stoic grace under pressure and a fleeting glance at her ability to steal a scene. Her precious time on screen is welcomed. Expect to see a lot of awards love for this cast and crew this season.
Naturally, a well-crafted movie like Conclave needs a well-constructed wine. For 70 years in the 14th Century, the primary papal residence was moved from Vatican City to Avignon in the southern Rhône Valley. Around this historic papal palace? Vineyards, in an era now designated Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or “the new house of the Pope”. It only seemed appropriate to pair this piece of papal history with the movie that fictionalizes papal history for the world to discover.
Clos des Papes is a winery that traces its history back to 1896, founded by Paul Avril (one of the big figures behind the establishment of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC and its now famous governing rules). This is a family run estate, currently run by Vincent Avril, who did additional winemaking training at Château Mouton Rothschild in Bordeaux.
While just about any vintage of Clos des Papes will be ready to drink right now (young or old), I’m naturally gravitating towards 2013. A notoriously small harvest that wound up with a concentrated crop, the wines that were made in 2013 have textbook CDP strength and freshness. That, and the last time a conclave was formed happened in 2013 when Pope Francis - a boundary-breaking pope in his own right - was named as the successor to Pope Benedict XVI.
The 2013 Clos des Papes is an intense wine. Other estates struggle to find the balance in all the elements - it’s easy for other houses to make a wine that’s too high in alcohol, too fruit-forward to age for long periods of time, or too reliant on one single grape variety to define the blend. Here, everything lines up the way it should - taut acidity, some garrigue and leather starting to take the spotlight as the wine climbs over 10 years old, but equal parts fruitiness, savoriness, and structure from the blend of grapes: 65% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 20% Mourvèdre… and 5% supporting characters/other CDP-approved grapes. Take the Biblical symbolism up a notch and pair it with roasted lamb chops, an olive tapenade, and maybe a pomegranate-based sauce for a glimpse of that rich red color on the plate.
The 2013 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape can be hard to find, but keep your eyes peeled on WineSearcher to see when a bottle pops up near you (I promise, you’ll want to taste this with a little age on it if possible!). The 2021 vintage of Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape is more widely available, and you can find it here on wine.com. Thank you for shopping at your local independent wine shop!
Conclave is now playing in movie theaters.