Pape Clement

“With their smoky and spicy bouquet, the red wines are of an admirable quality and a very characteristic softness. The wine is both concentrated, fine and harmonious, with an aromatic palette as wide as it is precise. The depth and length in the mouth are exceptional. Quality of the terroir, sustained efforts and dynamism have borne fruit bringing Pape Clément to a level very close to that of the premiers crus.” - Figaro Vin

2004

Wine Advocate 91: This brilliant blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon and 46% Merlot (which was harvested very late) reveals complex aromas of lead pencil shavings, burning embers, black currants, cherries, and blackberries as well as a subtle smoky charcoal component. Medium to full-bodied and spicy with sweet tannin and an opulent, fleshy personality, it is a terrific effort from this great Pessac-Leognan vineyard.

James Suckling 96: Intense blackberry and blueberry aromas as well as mushroom undertones. Violets, too. Sweet tobacco. Full-bodied and layered with polished tannins. Very long and beautiful.

2014

Wine Advocate 94: The 2014 Pape Clement has quite a potent bouquet with lavish red cherry, kirsch, iodine and pastille-like scents, the oak probably needing another couple of years to fully integrate. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine line of acidity, quite refined and focused with appreciable tension towards the finish that comes laden with succulent, tobacco-infused blackberry fruit. This is a sumptuous and yet refined Pape-Clement that demonstrated the most matière or substance out of all the Pessac-Léognan 2014s that I tasted, except for the Haut-Brion. It is certainly a wine destined for a long future.

James Suckling 96: Intense blackberry and blueberry aromas as well as mushroom undertones. Violets, too. Sweet tobacco. Full-bodied and layered with polished tannins. Very long and beautiful. Give it two or three years to show what it has but already a beauty.

Decanter 94: Restrained compared to some vintages and all the more successful for it. Fine but firm tannins; grip and lovely hold to the dark, brambly, bilberry and cassis fruit. Great potential.

2020

Wine Advocate 94+: Aromas of rich cherries, cassis, burning embers, violets and dark chocolate introduce the 2020 Pape Clément, a medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy wine that's ripe, layered and generously extracted but also a touch deeper and more reserved than the flashy 2019.

James Suckling 98: Lots of blackberry, iodine and crushed stone here. Some black pepper and graphite, too. Full body and medium, fine tannins that have a powdery texture and open in the mouth. So much going on. Iodine and iron undertones with some raw mushroom bring you back for more. Muscular. This is for the cellar. Drink after 2027.

Vinous 95: The 2020 Pape Clément Rouge has an incredibly intense bouquet with multi-layered blackberry and bilberry fruit, cedar and black olive compote aromas. Hints of vanilla pod and black truffle emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with firm and quite assertive tannins that frame a huge weight of fruit (more than Domaine de Chevalier or Malartic-Lagravière tasted alongside). It's not a subtle Pessac-Léognan for sure, but there is adequate freshness and a sense of mineralité and tension on the finish. It will require at least a decade in bottle but long-term, this will be magnificent.

Decanter 95: Tannic heft from the get-go, though this does have a lovely fresh, clean and precise core with a narrow, focused frame so the elements come across as quite tight and severe right now but well worked. It has class, no doubt, on the high-toned scale, potent and upfront but there's gorgeous detail and precision to the fruit, acidity and tannins. Slick and classy with lots of glamour that plays to the strengths of the vintage.

Wine Enthusiast 95: The wood aging is just beginning to show in this full, rich wine. With a fine combination of pineapple and squeezed citrus layered with a tight texture, it obviously has power as well as potential.

2021

Wine Advocate 91-94: The 2021 Pape Clément exhibits notions of sweet berries and cherries mingled with rich aromas of espresso roast, black truffles, toasty new oak and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, deep and quite extracted in style, it's a rich, fleshy wine that gained in integration and harmony over the the three weeks I spent in Bordeaux. Tasted three times.

James Suckling 95: This is really polished and beautiful with very fine tannins that caress your palate. Medium body. Refined. Currant, chocolate, hazelnut and black walnut. Some mushroom. Very complex and subtle. Drinkable now but better in a couple of years.

Vinous 94: The 2021 Pape Clément is a very elegant, polished wine. Crushed flowers, red cherry fruit, blood orange, menthol and spice all grace this wonderfully layered, expressive vintage of Pape Clément. Pretty floral top notes add freshness and vivacity. The more laid-back house style these days is so appealing.

Decanter 92: Slightly toasty, highly fragrant nose with cool blue fruits. Quite intense, feels a little pushed and over extracted with an austerity that comes in relatively quickly and just overtakes the ripe but also cool fruit. The frame is nice but the texture is a little pinched and streamlined just tapering off to a black tea and crushed stone finish.

Wine Enthusiast 95: This legendary estate, created by Pope Clément V, who was from the Bordeaux region, has produced a fine, densely textured wine. Its ripe tannins are typical of this estate, laced in this vintage by acidity and black-currant fruits. Drink from 2027.

2023

Wine Advocate 92-94: The 2023 Pape Clément evokes aromas of dark wild berries, spices, licorice and mulberries, followed by a medium to full-bodied, round and ample palate with structuring tannins and a firm, concentrated mid-palate that segues into a long, fruity finish. Less oaky than the previous years, this is a more contemporary expression of this great terroir. It's a blend of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.

James Suckling 97-98: This is really classy with length and polish that shine brightly. Also, you see blackberry, bark, currant and mushroom character. Full-bodied with wonderfully polished tannins and a seamless finish.