What's in a Name? The Story of Singlefile's Clément V.
One of the most exciting things about wine is that it conveys a story: a tale of place, history, technique and varietal. Singlefile’s Single Vineyard Frankland River Clément V is our tribute to the tradition of Rhône red blends. But beyond the nod to this historic blend, and the plush layers of fruit and spice, lies another story: a name with roots in medieval France. Who was Clément V—and why name a wine after him?
What is a Rhône red blend?
Rhône-style red blends are wines that are made in the style of the wines of France's Southern Rhône Valley, typically using the varieties of grenache, syrah/shiraz, mourvèdre/mataro, carignan and cinsault. The wines are characterised by richly layered fruit flavours, warm notes of spice and earth, and some gamey and leather notes. One of the most famous examples of a Rhône blend is the red Châteauneuf-du-Pape, which typically uses grenache as the primary variety, blending in other varieties for spice, structure, colour and elegance.
An Old World wine expressed anew. 
Within Australia’s relatively young wine industry, the influence of historic Rhône styles is perhaps most clearly seen in the rise of ‘GSM’ (grenache/shiraz/mataro) blends in the 1980s. Grenache was Australia’s most widely planted variety until the late 1960s, prized for its ability to thrive in the climate and its role in fortified wine production. As consumer tastes shifted toward table wines, enthusiasm for fortified styles waned—and many winemakers regretted the abundance of grenache vines.
In the mid- to late-1980s, a young Barossa vigneron named Charlie Melton saw potential where others saw excess. He crafted the first Barossa GSM with his 1988 release, ‘Nine Popes’—in French neuf papes—a playful tip of the hat to the Châteauneuf-du-Pape name. This marked the beginning of a red blend renaissance in Australia, and the classic Rhône style found a vibrant new home.
Singlefile’s Great Southern ‘GSM’
Since 2013, Singlefile has produced our own version of a Rhône-style GSM blend, in our Single Vineyard Frankland River Clément V. The wine is a blend of the classic Châteauneuf-du-Pape varieties of grenache, syrah (Rhône clones 877 and 470) and mourvèdre (more commonly known in Australia as mataro). During fermentation and maturation, the varietal batches are kept separate, and blended prior to bottling to achieve the desired style—an aromatic, plush and juicy red wine with lovely dark fruit flavours, spice and savouriness. The newly released 2024 vintage is made up of mataro (58%), grenache (21%) and shiraz (21%).
The significance of the Clément V name
Our GSM blend is named in honour of a figure whose story is woven through the vineyards of southern France: Pope Clément V. Born Bertrand de Got in the wine-rich region of Gascony, he was elected pope in 1305—marking the start of a controversial and pivotal chapter in Church history.
Instead of taking up residence in Rome, Clément established his papal court in Avignon, in the heart of the Rhône Valley. This move shifted the centre of the Catholic Church to France for nearly 70 years, a period now known as the Avignon Papacy. While political tensions and his loyalty to the French crown likely influenced the decision, some suggest his fondness for Rhône wines may have also played a part.
Clément’s reign brought prestige to the region and helped lay the foundations for what would become one of France’s most celebrated wine appellations: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, or “The Pope’s new castle.” The name itself refers to the fortress built by his successor, Pope John XXII, which still stands as a symbol of the appellation today. Clément and the following Avignon popes promoted viticulture of the area while advancing the reputation of the wines produced there. Our Clément V blend is a tribute to this charismatic figure, and a nod to the legacy he created in the vineyards of the Rhône.
With Western Australia’s Great Southern emerging as a region of repute for Australian GSM blends—producing refined, cool-climate examples—we invite you to try our Clément V, a wine whose full story is centuries in the making.
Photographer: Avignon Tourisme, 2020