Château Pape-Clément: Modern Times
Early on in the 19th century Château Pape-Clément 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 a local négociant named Jean-Baptiste Clerc in 1858. By this time the estate’s reputation was firmly established, and the wines were widely regarded to be second in terms of quality only to Château Haut-Brion. Nevertheless there was still work to be done, and Jean-Baptiste Clerc was instrumental in improving the estate, expanding the vineyard to 37 hectares, and ensuring only the best varieties were planted, 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 1870s the wine of Château Pape-Clément was selling at a price equivalent to a Médoc second growth, and with these profits Jean-Baptiste Clerc was able to construct an elegant château befitting such an estate.
Jean-Baptiste Clerc died shortly before 1880, and this the estate passed to another gentleman named Cinto. Another négociant, Cinto was seemingly dissatisfied with the château as it stood, and he made extensive modifications, including the addition of castellations and ramparts, and he is thus responsible for the rather romantic appearance of the modern Pape-Clément (as pictured on the preceding page).
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