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Château Pape-Clément

Names often evoke history, especially when châteaux proprietors follow the common practice of appending their family name to that of their property; the Brown of Cantenac-Brown, for example, was none other than John Lewis Brown, an ancestor of the artist of the same name who was famed for his equestrian images. Château Latour has the same effect, although here the name refers not to a person but to a building, the Tor à St-Lambert, the site of one of countless Anglo-French battles during the Hundred Years' War. The Graves estate of Pape-Clément is another example, and is in fact a rather special one. Here the name is that of Pope Clément V, a French-born clergyman who took the papal office in the early 14th century, and thus the Pape-Clément property has one of the longest and best documented histories of all Bordeaux châteaux.

Clément V was born into the noble De Goth family who held a seat at Villandraut, to the south of Sauternes. The child destined to be pope was named Bertrand, and he began his career in the church at a young age, so that by 1299 he was made Archbishop of Bordeaux by Pope Boniface VIII. With such a title comes a need for a suitable property, and his brother (who was Archbishop of Lyon) gifted him the La Mothe property close to Bordeaux, between the road to Mérignac (where the airport is today) and the nearby Magonty estate. There was already a vineyard here which De Goth expanded, although not to hugely commercial proportions. In 1305 he became Pope, and with his departure his property in Bordeaux was passed to his successor as Archbishop, Arnaud de Canteloup, although Clément's significance in the history of wine does not end there. Widely regarded by historians as a tool of the French crown, as evinced by his choosing Lyon for his coronation rather than travelling to Italy, by 1309 Clément had moved the papal seat to Avignon. It was for this reason that his successors established a nearby town, known today as Châteauneuf-du-Pape, as the papal summer residence.

The Bordeaux estate continued as a site of viticulture for many centuries, remaining in the ownership of the church until the Revolution when like many of the properties of noblemen and clergy it was sold off as a bien national. Throughout these long centuries, however, the wine does not appear to have been marketed, and it is likely that production remained modest, the wines reserved for use in the Archbishop's residence and perhaps during mass. This would change after the Revolution, as a succession of owners oversaw the development of the property as a commercial enterprise. Early on in the 19th century it passed through the hands of gentlemen by the names of Jarrige, De Fortmanoir and Clouzel, before the latter sold the majority of the estate to Jean-Baptiste Clerc in 1858. By this time the estate's reputation was firmly established, and was widely regarded to be second only to Haut-Brion. Nevertheless Clerc was instrumental in improving the estate, expanding the vineyard to 37 hectares, ensuring only the best varieties populated the vineyard, including a little Cabernet Franc; his efforts were rewarded not only by medals from local and national Agricultural Societies in 1861 and 1864, but also by excellent prices. By the time of his death shortly before 1880, the wine of Pape-Clément was selling at a price equivalent to a Médoc second growth.

From Clerc the estate passed to Cinto, who enlarged the château, before selling it onto an Englishman named Maxwell, who neglected the estate. The economic and political climates were obviously not favourable, and as World War Two approached the dilapidated vineyard, devastated by hail in 1937, was sold. With the creeping advance of the suburbs of Bordeaux it seemed likely that this would be the end for Pape-Clément, that the vineyard would soon be populated by bungalows rather than vines, but this was not to be. The estate was purloined by a vigneron and poet by the name of Paul Montagne, and following the end of hostilities his plans to revitalise the estate were finally realised. To aid him in his work he engaged the services of Emile Peynaud as oenologist, one of many reasons why the wines of Pape-Clément have been so successful over the years. Today Paul's son Léo has joint-ownership of the estate, having taken on this role with the death of his father at the age of 94, and his partner is Bernard Magrez who also owns La Tour Carnet.

The vineyards today account for 32.5 hectares of the Pessac-Léognan vignoble, with three distinct terroirs across the estate as a whole. Over a limestone bedrock which originated in the Oligocene and Miocene eras, there are the gravels that typify the region as a whole, as well as areas of clay and sand. The vineyards to the west are more sandy, with a deep seam of gravel, whereas as those to the east have an increasingly significant amount of clay, and those to the north of the estate the soils are particularly thin and poor. The red vines, which cover 30 of the 32.5 hectares, are 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, the Cabernet Franc of Jean-Baptiste Clerc having long since disappeared. Here knowledge of the terroir is important, as the former variety is planted mainly to the gravelly areas whereas Merlot is selected for those soils with more clay. The majority of these vines have more than 25 years of age, and many are over 40. The white varieties are 45% Sauvignon Blanc, 45% Semillon and 10% Muscadelle. Planting is quite dense, between 7700 and 9000 vines/ha depending on the individual plot, and some areas are grassed over between rows, especially where there are moisture-retaining clay soils where an increase in competition for water can be beneficial for quality of the fruit. The vines are trained using a Double Guyot technique as is common throughout Bordeaux, with leaf-thinning in the summer to improve exposure of the fruit to the sun, and there is also a green harvest to temper yields, which are up to 40 hl/ha for both red and white wines. Harvest is manual, and to ensure the best quality there is selection in the vineyard with several tries through the vines being the norm.

In the chai, the red fruit is destemmed and subjected to further examination and selection, before a gentle pressing and then transfer to vat by gravity feed rather than by pumping. The reds are fermented in oak vats of varying sizes, ranging from 50 to 140 hectolitres, allowing for vinification of small parcels. The must is limited to 29-30ºC during the fermentation, with the temperature reduced a little during a maceration which lasted for up to 35 days, when there is extraction of colour and tannin aided by punching down of the cap. The white grapes are not destemmed, but pressed lightly, and then also fermented in oak, with 70 to 100% of the barrels new each vintage, and regular bâtonnage to keep the lees in suspension. The wines are blended and then fed by gravity to the barrels where they undergo malolactic fermentation before élevage, up to 20 months for the reds and 12 months for the whites. The resulting grand vin is Château Pape-Clément, with about 7000 cases of the red wine and as little as 350 of the white, and there are also second labels Le Clémentin du Pape-Clément and Le Prélat du Pape-Clément.

As always there are those ready to criticise the Pape-Clément of today for the use of technology, for modernisation, for extraction, for monotony as they have seen the style develop over the last one or two decades. Nevertheless it is clear on tasting recent vintages of Pape-Clément that these are superlative wines, with concentration, purity of fruit, texture and yet also elegance. They remain aromatic and exciting on assessment, whilst being rich and yet well defined on the palate. And the white is no also-ran in comparison to the red, here indeed is a fabulously bright and delicious wine which in a successful vintage such as 2006 can be simply stunning. Prices of both red and white wines, however, reflect this quality in a most transparent fashion. (7/8/07)

Contact details:
Address: 216 avenue Dr. Nancel Pénard, BP 164, 33600 Pessac
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 57 26 38 38
Fax: +33 (0) 5 56 36 45 63
Internet: www.pape-clement.com
GPS: 44.805753, -0.646746

Château Pape-Clément - Tasting Notes

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White Wines

Château Pape-Clément Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2010: A very attractive and slightly perfumed nose here, with a subtle musky hint which may well come from the Muscadelle included here. Served rather cool. On the palate it is quite rich and fleshy, seemingly bright and vibrant but much of this comes from the temperature. Once it warms in the mouth the acidity doesn't really reveal itself and the wine only has its pithy grip to fall back on. Having said that, it is rather an attractive pithiness, the substance of the wine holding an appealing bitterness as a result. And there is some acidity there on retasting. Could warrant a higher score if this holds together. From my Bordeaux 2010 primeurs assessment. 15.5-16.5/20 (April 2011)

Red Wines

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2010: Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Merlot 50%. A glossy crimson-black hue here. No surprises on the nose, the evident fruit even at this stage already more than matched by a wild, feral, organic character with a dried-wood twist. Rather boldly composed on the palate, which speaks more of structure and woody tannin than it does fruit, which does its best to catch up in the midpalate although never really manages. Rather dry and rasping in terms of its composition, the tannins feeling heavily extracted. Did they cut back on the extraction here? From my Bordeaux 2010 primeurs assessment. 15-16/20 (April 2011)

White Wines

Château Pape-Clément Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2009: This is 48% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon, 6% Sauvignon Gris and 6% Muscadelle. Wow - this has a gorgeous nose, showing intense pear and sweet apple and mango character. This is lovely. A superbly concentrated palate right at the top end, with lots of succulent texture, good substance, with fresh acidity too. Delicious, intense, with a structured and rather pithy finish. A fine effort, but of course this sample has yet to undergo its oak élevage. I am sure it will have a very different character when it shows up at the UGC tasting next year. From my 2009 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 18-19+/20 (March 2010)

Red Wines

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2009: A really appealing nose here, with a layer of honeyed oak (this is Pape-Clément, after all) but it seems well matched by a reserved but evident layer of fruit. Attractive, balanced, a touch creamy but not with the force that you can sometimes find from this château. There is an elegant edge to the creamy fruit, and a lovely backbone of ripe tannins behind it as well. Overall it has more harmony than many other wines on show here today. A delicious style, well structured in the finish, but in a reserved, grainy fashion rather than anything more robust. An excellent result. From a tasting of 2009 Pessac-Léognan at two years of age. 18.5/20 (October 2011)

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2009: This is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc. The wine has a dark, purple-black core with good concentration right out to the rim. The nose is very dense and yet perfumed, full of squashed cherries, warm tar, rose petals and more. No shortage of depth here. Yet the palate has an elegantly defined cool and rather direct style on the palate, showing an impressive definition. The tannins are moving from cottony to almost silky here, although that is not to say they take a back seat, and there is also a great concentration of fruit presented in very lush style. Supple, with a very polished finish, this is a sample which has great promise. From my 2009 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 18-19+/20 (March 2010)

White Wines

Château Pape-Clément Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2008: As expected there is a big role here for oak, a warm and honeyed element set against the yellow plum crunchiness of the fruit. It is much better put-together than the red wine in terms of how comfortably the winemaking sits with the fruit, aromatically at least. There follows some exuberant fruit on the palate, certainly expressive and appealing, with lots of good substance. It has a grippy, oak-derived structure to it as well, but more importantly there is acidity. As with all Pape-Clément you will have to wait for the oak to integrate before you can enjoy it, but it does at least hold that promise. From a tasting of 2008 Pessac-Léognan at two years of age. 16.5+/20 (October 2010)

Château Pape-Clément Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2008: Unsurprisingly this has a bigger nose, with sweet and slightly candied fruit, with acacia, but also a huge layer of polished, golden oak. This character comes though on the palate also, which has full, fleshy and rather sherbetty fruit. But underneath this frothy surface there is plenty of grip (oak-derived?), and good acids. My only point of criticism is that it seems a little flat in the midpalate; is there the substance to cope with this oaking regime? Time will tell; in the meantime I have added query to my score. From my 2008 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 16.5-17.5+?/20 (April 2009)

Red Wines

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2008: A pile of raw oak here; it's not unusual for wines this young to show oak of course but this is particularly noticeable, perhaps because there is little else to the aromatic profile. The same character comes across on the palate. There is rather bare fruit here in the front and midpalate although there is more in evidence together with a more flattering texture towards the finish. Nevertheless this comes across as a pile of grip and a mouthful of splinters at the moment. Lots of extract giving firm tannins and a dark colour so there is a lot of wine underneath it all but it makes the wine very difficult to judge. From a tasting of 2008 Pessac-Léognan at two years of age. 16-16.5+?/20 (October 2010)

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2008: Smoky fruit, and a lot of sweet oak here, over dense blackberry and plum fruit. A very dry palate, with the oak showing through over a firm, tannic backbone. There is good acidity, and a big, oak and tannin-infused finish. There is little in the way of sweetness, softness or generosity here. But there is certainly some substance. Could be very good indeed. From my 2008 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 16.5-17.5+/20 (April 2009)

White Wines

Château Pape-Clément Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2007: Smoky nose, the usual application of oak here. It is easy to be seduced by these roasty-toasty aromas but there is good quality creamy fruit here too, with a honeyed quality, and altogether it does work well. There is some weight on the palate, with a broad, sweet, smoky edge. Good substance. Overall, rather stylish, but one for the cellar. From a tasting of 2007 Pessac-Léognan at two years of age. 17.5+/20 (October 2009)

Château Pape-Clément Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2007: A good nutty depth here, this is showing the oak at present, but more importantly there is good fruit depth as well. In fact it is rather brooding in style. A rich palate, rounded and creamy, with rather appealingly gentle acids. Rounded, weighty, impressive wine. From my 2007 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 16.5-17.5+/20 (April 2008)

Red Wines

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2007: No surprises here, the aromatics remain dominated by honeyed, golden oak, the fruit quite difficult to perceive beneath this domineering character. The oak seems to be dominating in many of the wines at this tasting, so this finding isn't a shock when it comes to Pape Clément. There is a roundness that suggests fruit, but little else. The palate is soft at first, quickly yielding to a charred, slightly chewy, puckering tannic core, along with supple oak character. There is plenty of grip in the finish, with a solid fruit character which is more reassuring than the aromatics. From my tasting of 2007 Pessac-Léognan at four years of age. 16/20 (November 2011)

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2007: This has sweet and surprisingly dense fruit given the context of the vintage. There is obviously too, but on the nose at least the two seem to be well married up. Dark character on the palate, polished, with moderate substance and quite ripe and silky tannins. A surprising quality of fruit through to the finish too. For the vintage, this is impressive. From a tasting of 2007 Pessac-Léognan at two years of age. 16.5+/20 (October 2009)

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2007: A pile of sweet fruit here, lots of sweetness, and lots of oak at present. There is substance here, it is textured, and there is a pile of ripe tannins. Well structured, with a nice presence. There is a lot of everything going on here, which is fairly typical for Pape-Clément. Good. From my 2007 Bordeaux primeur assessment. 15.5-16.5+/20 (April 2008)

White Wines

Château Pape-Clément Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: As expected oak dominates the nose at this stage, showing in a fairly appealing fashion, aromas of oatmeal and honeyed wood. But alongside this there are some very fresh, green fruit characteristics which keep my interest. The palate is fat, perhaps oak-influenced, showing plenty of texture and grip perhaps for the same reason. It has some appealing liquorice elements alongside the fruit. It should go without saying this needs time to integrate, but I think given that it could be really very good indeed. From a tasting of 2006 Pessac-Léognan at two years of age. 18+/20 (October 2008)

Château Pape-Clément Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: Vibrant nose, with passion fruit and grapefruit, fresh and vigorous on the palate, with firm acidity and a very nice composition. Open, expressive, gentle and elegant, yet firm, with a slight toasty edge. Nettly, green and vibrant on the finish. This is excellent. A star wine of the vintage. From my 2006 Bordeaux assessment. 18-19+/20 (April 2007)

Red Wines

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: Lots of flashy oak in this young wine, with aromas of spiced fruits and honey signifying this. It is soft, supple and well rounded, with a firm midpalate and lots of ripe grip. It has a very plump, diffuse character but there is acidity in it, and woody tannins, it just doesn't seem well integrated at present. There is substance to it though and I suspect it will come good with time. From a tasting of 2006 Pessac-Léognan at two years of age. 17+/20 (October 2008)

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: Sweet and ripe fruit on the nose here, showing piles of new oak, much more than the wine was carrying when I tasted it in April 2007. It has a tight composition, but there is also apparent flesh and grip through the midpalate. Lots of good acidity. This is very stylish, but it will need plenty of time for all that oak to integrate. Really very good. From a Bordeaux 2006 assessment. 17-17.5+/20 (April 2008)

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2006: Beautifully pure and open fruit on the palate, fine definition, full and rounded, not quite creamy. A firm grip underneath, a plush fruit texture, very good acidity. It has freshness, but doesn't leap out of the glass. Nevertheless it has a very nice composition and I think this has very fine potential. From my 2006 Bordeaux assessment. 16.5-17.5+/20 (April 2007)

Red Wines

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2005: A nose dominated by oak here, fine and well polished, although there is an impressive layer of fruit hiding behind it as well. Aromatic, fresh and rich, with notes of loganberry and dark cherry. A brilliant palate, pure with seamless fruit. There is a huge envelope of oak around it at present but this merely needs time. Very grippy finish, the tannins showing here, but it has balancing fruit for the structure throughout the palate. This will need a long rest in the cellar. Although massive, still very lifted and bright. Wonderful. From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at four years of age. 18.5+/20 (November 2009)

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2005: The nose here is dense and a little reticent, but what character it shows today is dark, dense, meaty and concentrated. Simply lovely style on the palate, pure and seamless yet obviously heavily stuffed. Nevertheless it does have a textured, plush, mouth-filling and perhaps rather soft style which covers the tannins nicely. Broad but well directed. Good grip underneath it all. This has a very impressive style which has great potential. From my tasting of 2005 Bordeaux at two years of age. 18.5+/20 (October 2007)

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2005: CS 45%, M 55%. A really dense colour here, outclassing just about every other wine here. A lovely, lifted, red fruit nose. Simply divine style here, with notes of white flower petals too. This presents a caressing, rounded texture on the palate, but with an elegant style. Rather a masculine feel to the tannins, which are ripe but very firm and solid. This is very well structured, not over-extracted, complex and very fine. Lovely finish. This has just bags of potential. From my 2005 Bordeaux en primeur tasting. 18-19/20 (April 2006)

White Wines

Château Pape-Clément Blanc (Pessac-Léognan) 2004: A lovely, nutty, oily, smouldering nose. Fresh and green too. Plump and yet fresh on the palate, vibrant and vigorous. Rather aristocratic in style, vigorous, with honeycomb oak. This has a delicious style. Very fine indeed. 17.5/20 (April 2007)

Red Wines

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2004: On this tasting there is little to be found on the nose here; there is ripe fruit, but to me this seems to be closing down. The palate is rather restrained, dense but well focused, and the oak seems to have integrated well here. There is a very serious tone to it, with well defined substance and texture, and a good covering over the ripe core of tannins. There is subtle fruit complexity here, and overall this is very appealing. It could, in time, be great. From my assessment of 2004 Bordeaux at four years. 17.5+/20 (November 2008)

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2004: This is exotic, perfumed, deeply fruited, with an attractive pickling spices complexity. Fine texture on the palate, with lots of texture and a lovely extract. The tannins are ripe, rather svelte and peppery, and come with fresh acidity. Tannic finish. This is set up for good development in the cellar. From my 2004 Bordeaux assessment. 17.5/20 (October 2006)

Red Wines

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2002: This is lovely. A firm, classic, gravelly, perfumed wine, with a little spiced fruit. Full, textured, creamy with a soft grip. Gentle but firm, velvety, with a lovely fresh balance. Lovely potential. 17.5+/20 (April 2007)

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 2002: This is stylish, a serious nose, nutty but restrained, gravelly, minerally and slightly perfumed. A lovely presence on the palate, fresh and precise, with a fine balance. Broad and yet elegant, with a lovely concentration too. I think this is lovely and brimming with potential. 17.5+/20 (February 2007)

Red Wines

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 1985: Dense, pure, surprisingly youthful colour. Very classic nose, with good fruit. Open and expressive, meaty, gloriously accessible. This is early maturity. Powerful, smooth, pure, fluid mouthfeel. Firm sweet fruit backed up by plenty of tannic structure. Floral aromatics. Lovely wine, with great potential. From a Graves tasting. 17.5+/20 (October 2004)

Château Pape-Clément (Pessac-Léognan) 1985: This is a dark red wine with a tawny hue. Stylish nose, full of fruit with some toffee character. Very firm and muscular on the palate, with sweet, tarry fruit. Great tannins which lie in the background providing structure. Good acidity. Well balanced. From a Bordeaux 1985 tasting. 18/20 (September 2002)