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96 Robert Parker
Blended of 60% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Pape Clement has a deep garnet-purple color and quite a serious, earthy nose with truffles, tilled soil, underbrush and smoked meats over a cassis, baked plums and redcurrants core plus a touch of lavender. Medium to full-bodied, firm and grainy, the palate is built like a brick house, supporting muscular black fruit and earthy notions and finishing very long and mineral laced.
96 Wine Spectator
This takes a slightly different tack than many of its Pessac colleagues, relying less on bramble and tar and more on alluring toast, with mocha, anise, wood spice and black tea notes draped liberally over the core of sappy kirsch and cherry preserve flavors. Plush and suave through the finish, though this needs a bit of time for the wood elements to be fully integrated with the fruit. For fans of the flashier, cashmere-textured style. Best from 2023 through 2037. 12,500 cases made. — JM
Producer
Château Pape Clément
Château Pape Clément is one of the oldest Grand Cru Classé vineyards in Bordeaux. With a history dating back to the 13th century, the reputable château was established by Bertrand de Goth, the Archbishop of Bordeaux. Decades later, he became Pope in 1305 under the name Clement V, thus the château inherited his name. In 1939, the Montagne family acquired the estate, and it is now owned and run by wine enthusiast, Bernard Magrez. Hidden among the Pessac suburbs, the 32.5-hectare property is predominately dedicated to red wine production, with only 2.5-hectares planted to white varieties. Both wines represent some of the appellations best, the Pape Clément Rouge is a dense but approachable wine, while the small production of Pape Clément Blanc is an elegant, impressively complex, creamy new oak noted white. Today, the Château boasts the finest clarets in Pessac-Léognan, and continues to express with finesse the essence of their terroir.