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Petit Verdot

Pape Clement

Chateau Pape Clement Cru Classe Pessac-Leognan

Bordeaux

Pessac-Léognan

Deep garnet-purple colored. Prances out with showy notes of raspberry coulis, fresh black currants, and plums, plus suggestions of cinnamon stick, lilac, and fertile loam. The light to medium-bodied palate has great tension and fine-grained tannins supporting the vibrant black and red berry flavors, finishing long and fragrant. The intensity and black fruit on here with no form of must concentration is impressive!

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

The 2023 Pape Clement has a deep garnet-purple color. The nose is very shut down to begin, needing a lot of shaking to wake up notes of stewed plums, crème de cassis, and blueberry preserves, plus suggestions of tar, licorice, dried herbs and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is bright and juicy, textured by fine-grained tannins, finishing with impressive tension and length.

Expert

Muscular tannins that have grip and staying power, exuberant while staying on the right side of the line, giving punch and definition without drowning the fruit. Cassis, liqourice, slate, crayon, crushed rocks, very much on style for Pape Clement and an excellent wine with staying power. Harvest started September 10. Heavy bottle. 60% new oak.

Inside Bordeaux

Sommelier

The 2018 Pape Clement is deep garnet purple in color. It opens with pronounced notes of black olives and black truffles, with a core of prunes, blueberry pie, and camphor. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a firm backbone of chewy tannins and just enough freshness to support the subtle, nuanced fruit, finishing long and savory. 

Vanilje og krydder, deretter konsentrert frukt. Konsentrert og fruktig, har kraft, men er ikke tung, fin struktur, veldig elegant. Både rød og mørk frukt på denne.

Amatør

Still young, with flexed tannins and plenty of blackcurrant, blackberry puree and damson fruits. A little subdued right now, with the tannins exerting a strong grip, but in another few years it will open back up to fully reveal the spicy cedar and eucalyptus notes thtat come through on the finish. Mouthwatering freshness on the finish, impressive in what was a sunny vintage in a warm spot of Bordeaux. Michel Rolland consultant. Harvest September 25 to October 15.

The 2014 Pape Clement is medium to deep garnet-brick in color. Notes of black cherry preserves and prunes jump from the glass, followed by hints of Sichuan pepper, tobacco leaf, and smoked meats. The medium to full-bodied palate is chock full of spicy black fruits with a velvety texture and nice tension, finishing with great length.

The grilled oak feels a touch intrusive on the nose, although it is melted away on the palate, and the tannic frame is still lending form and grip. Gentle black fruits, edges of liqourice, this is enjoyabe but falls away on the finish. So hard to maintain momentum in this vintage. 60% new oak, harvest October 3 to 5.

The 2012 Pape Clement is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet colored, it charges out with plum preserves, blackcurrant pastilles, and raspberry leaves scents with touches of cedar chest and bay leaves. Medium-bodied, with juicy black fruit coating the mid palate and soft tannins, it finishes with a lively lift.

Extremely closed, this has a wall of muscular tannins and maintains its monolithic expression even two years after I last tasted it. Keep checking in, because this is a stunning wine, with sweet liquorice, graphite, crayon, cassis, grilled herbs, , with the smoke and grilled herb quality Look to the 2009 if drinking soon, but this one will go the distance. 32hl/h yield, 100% new oak, Michel Rolland consultant.

Opulent mouthfeel, grilled sandalwood oak set against bitter chocolate, creamy damson fruits, pulses of cumin, marzipan and rosemary spice. A gourmet, rich example of the vintage, full of estate signature, and very enjoyable. 100% new oak for ageing, Michel Rolland consultant.

Presents a saturated, deep, intense ruby hue, accompanied by a lovely mixture of blackcurrant leaf, berries of the forest, shoe polish, smoke, graphite, freshly sharpened pencil, and a hint of smoke on the nose.⁠
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The palate echoes these aromatic notes, delivering a youthful, flinty, and refreshing wine with a mineral residue and lasting definition of black and blue berries, enhanced by minerals. The integration of tannins, acidity, and alcohol is commendable, offering plushness and depth alongside refreshing spiciness.

Fine wine advisor

Far younger and intense in colour than the 2000, this has black chocolate and slate flavours, balancing sweet, well-ripened cassis and raspberry fruits with fresher pulses of minerality. A lovely wine that is a great reflection of the finesse of the vintage. As it opens dried herbs of rosemary and garrigue come through, as does a cold ash character. 38hl/h yield. 100% new oak. Michel Rolland consultant.

Plum aromatics, soft ruby red heading to tawny around the edges. This has welcoming campfire smoke aromatics, with tar and earth, plenty of mint leaf freshness through the finish. You can find younger-feeling 2000 wines, as this was such a compact, tannic vintage that has proved stubborny slow ageing in many cases, but Pape Clement is located in a warm spot close to the city of Bordeaux, which means grapes reach full ripeness easily and may have contributed to it ageing a little more quickly. Yields were low (both naturally and through crop thinning) at 31.5hl/h, and the wine was aged in 100% new oak barrels. Harvest September 28 to October 10, 31.5hl/h, Michel Rolland consultant.

Great moment to drink this, with the structure fully softened, tannins integrated and the fruit gentle, edged by walnut, tobacco, cigar box, smoked cedar and grilled dried herbs. Bernard Magrez had owned Pape Clement for 10 years at this point, having arrived (through marriage) in 1985, and he was already making an impact in terms of its taste profile, building up concentration, but this remains a classically balanced Pessac Léognan, traditional in feel. Michel Rolland consultant. 47hl/h yield. Tasted in the same week as this vertical, but at my house, with food.

Still very much holding up, soft smoky tar notes that are so typical of mature Pessac wines. Tertiary but still with fruit and life, sweet cherry, liquorice, tar, wild strawberry, fine tannins. In 1966, Château Pape Clément was owned by Paul Montagne, a Bordeaux wine merchant and négociant, who had purchased the estate in 1939. This was before the formation of Pessac-Léognan in 1987, and the wine was still bottled as Graves.

Category	Red wine
Vinmonopolet no.
Producer	Pape Clement
Vintages	2024
Country	France, Bordeaux, Pessac-Léognan
Bottle	75 cl

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Sugar	g/l

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