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Château Pape Clément, Cru Classé, Pessac Léognan
Château Pape Clément

Château Pape Clément, Cru Classé, Pessac Léognan, 2023

Available Vintages

critic reviews

93-95/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

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.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2042
date of review 05/2024
93/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

Inky depths to the plum colour; as is often the case with Pape Clement even under the new regime of the past few vintages where new oak has been lowered. Delivers an exuberant, confident estate signature, supple texture, roasted black cherry and cherry pit, cocoa bean, espresso, a cushion of air helps give a lift on the finish to what is a fairly highly charged architecture. 35hl/ha yield.

DRINKING WINDOW 2029 - 2042
date of review 05/2024
93-95/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2023 Pape Clément is the first vintage fully employing crème de levures, using native yeasts in the vineyard to start the fermentation and improve balance, together with two native yeasts regularly employed since 2012 (to maintain some consistency). It was picked from September 5 to October 3 and matured in 60% new oak, including foudres. The 2023 is cut from a very different cloth compared to recent vintages. It’s much more classic in style, almost reserved, with tightly wound black fruit mixed with briar and light gravelly scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a light entry, just a pinch of spice and moderate depth. The silky, peppery, finish is more tertiary than you would expect to find on what was once quite a bombastic Pessac-Léognan. One sample had a soupçon of herbaceousness, whilst another at the château had none at all. Very fine. I like this new direction. though I would not regard this as a benchmark for future vintages. This will be interesting to revisit after bottling.

DRINKING WINDOW 2029 - 2042
date of review 04/2024
92-94/100Yohan Castaing,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2023 Pape Clement 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.

DRINKING WINDOW 2025 - 2040
date of review 04/2024

product details

Country:
France
Region:
Bordeaux
Appellation:
Style:
Grape Variety:
abv:
13%