France

Pape Clement

Chateau Pape Clement Cru Classe Pessac-Leognan

Bordeaux

Pessac-Léognan

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.

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

Expert

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Pape Clement is composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. It is wearing quite a lot of oak on the nose at this stage, giving way to a powerful core of baked plums and blackcurrant cordial notes, plus wafts of Indian spices and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is laden with lively black fruits and a firm, grainy texture, finishing long and earthy.

This lays down a challenge to the other wines in Pessac-Léognan, with a little more power and definition, with slate tannins and a rasp of minerality all while delivering pure and concentrated raspberry, loganberry and black cherry fruits. The tannins are confident and are not about to let the fruit go anywhere soon. Great quality and potential, a little more severe and austere than the 2018 at this point, needs a good five years in bottle. Harvest September 17 to October 10, An upscore from En Primeur. Tasted twice, two months apart.

Inside Bordeaux

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. 

En duft av røde plommer, mørke jordbær, og lyse bjørnebær, kaffe, mokka, kakaopulver, krydder, lakris, og jordlige sopp- toner.

Smak av mørke bjørnebær, skogsbær, mørke røde bær, sjokolade og lakris. Tett-polerte tanniner, med fin kons. God lengde.

Smaking hos Chateau Pape Clement.

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.

Inky depths to the colour, this was the old school Pape Clement era, with big extraction, but the restrained character of the 2014 vintage has given a pared back wine that is totally charming at the ten year point, with smoky grilled oak notes alongside sweet damson, charred raspberry puree, a ton of grilled orange peel, balanced by satin tannins. Heavy bottle.

The 2013 Pape Clement has a medium garnet color, with a touch of brick. It is a bit tired on the nose, offering subtle notes of dried figs and mulberries, with hints of rusty nails, leather, and tobacco. Light to medium-bodied, the palate is skeletal and hard, with an abrupt finish. Drink up!

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.

2023	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2022	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2021	kr 1 299,90Not available	Excellent
2020	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2019	kr 967,10Available	Outstanding

Category	Red wine
Vinmonopolet no.
Producer	Pape Clement
Vintages	2008
Country	France, Bordeaux, Pessac-Léognan
Bottle	75 cl

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Sugar	g/l

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