Château Pape Clément, Cru Classé, Pessac Léognan, 2012
Bernard Magrez's flagship estate in the suburbs of Pessac, not far from the hallowed soils of Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion received a perfect score from Robert Parker in his re-review of the 2010 vintage. We'd be even more surprised if the 2012 repeats this feat, but there is much to admire here. A brooding bouquet of minerals, tar and petrol. There is a dark, mulberry, cassis fruit core; a little ripe and raisined but not OTT, with good supporting structure with a bit of tannic bite. There is an oily, mineral freshness and good supporting acidity too. Restrained hedonism.
critic reviews
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.
The 2012 Pape Clément has quite a high-toned bouquet with liquorice-infused red fruit, violet and camphor emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fleshy ripe tannins, high-toned and slightly volatile towards the heady finish. This needs calming down. After tasting blind at Southwold, a second bottle at the Bordeaux Index did nothing to alter my view about this Pessac-Léognan.
Tertiary notes of leather, earth, truffle, blueberry and raspberry fruits. Enjoyable, but more evolved than the last time I tasted this vintage ex-cellar. It's an enjoyable wine, soft and sappy, and easy to recommend. 100% new oak, Michel Rolland consultant.
The iconic 2012 Pape Clement is a candidate for near-perfection as well as one of the wines of the vintage. From proprietor Bernard Magrez, this is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 46% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. This extraordinary vineyard (a few miles to the west of Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion) has hit all the highlights of this vintage. Interestingly, the quality of the Pomerols and Graves wines in 2012 is closer to what one would consider a great vintage than the general image of 2012. This is truly great wine and not far off their magnificent 2005 and 2010. Full-bodied, with rich cassis, subtle burning embers and spice followed by velvety, well-integrated tannins, the wine is lush, expansive, savory and profound. This is a remarkable wine that could be drunk at a reasonably young age, but should cellar brilliantly for a quarter-century. Yields were modest at 37 hectoliters per hectare from this 132-acre estate. The alcohol level came in at 13.5%.