About This Wine
The 2018 Château Pape Clément is a richly textured, deeply expressive Pessac-Léognan that marries the opulence of the vintage with the smoky, mineral character that has defined this historic Graves estate for centuries. The blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc gives the wine a firm Cabernet-driven spine, wrapped in layers of crème de cassis, blackber...
About This Wine
The 2018 Château Pape Clément is a richly textured, deeply expressive Pessac-Léognan that marries the opulence of the vintage with the smoky, mineral character that has defined this historic Graves estate for centuries. The blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc gives the wine a firm Cabernet-driven spine, wrapped in layers of crème de cassis, blackberry, graphite, violets, tobacco, warm earth and the subtle scorched-stone character so closely associated with the appellation. Raised for roughly 18 months in French oak, including about 60% new barrels, it has impressive concentration, but the best feature is its balance: ripe and powerful without becoming ponderous, with polished tannins and enough freshness to carry the finish.
An arcane detail worth knowing is just how labor-intensive Pape Clément’s cellar work can be. The estate has employed manual berry-by-berry destemming, gravity-fed transfers into small wooden vats and macerations lasting as long as 30 to 40 days, techniques that are unusually meticulous even by classified Bordeaux standards. In the vineyard, horse and ox traction have also been used for certain parcels, a strikingly traditional practice for an estate now surrounded by the urban fabric of Bordeaux.
The 2018 vintage plays directly to Pape Clément’s strengths. There is an abundance of dark fruit and exotic spice, yet underneath the richness lies a distinctly mineral, almost iron-and-crushed-rock quality that keeps the wine grounded in its terroir. The palate is broad and creamy at first, then tightens through the middle with finely grained tannins and a long, smoky finish of graphite, cedar, cocoa and black fruit. Jeb Dunnuck awarded it 99 points, describing a wine of remarkable richness and grace, while James Suckling and Wine Advocate also placed it firmly among the elite wines of the vintage.
For collectors, the appeal is the combination of immediate grandeur and genuine longevity. The 2018 Pape Clément already possesses the plushness to be compelling with decanting, but its structure suggests decades of evolution ahead. It is a serious, cellar-worthy Bordeaux with historical pedigree, unmistakable Pessac-Léognan character and the kind of critical acclaim that makes it particularly attractive for anyone building a collection around the strongest wines of 2018.
The 2018 Château Pape Clément is a richly textured, deeply expressive Pessac-Léognan that marries the opulence of the vintage with the smoky, mineral character that has defined this historic Graves estate for centuries. The blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc gives the wine a firm Cabernet-driven spine, wrapped in layers of crème de cassis, blackberry, graphite, violets, tobacco, warm earth and the subtle scorched-stone character so closely associated with the appellation. Raised for roughly 18 months in French oak, including about 60% new barrels, it has impressive concentration, but the best feature is its balance: ripe and powerful without becoming ponderous, with polished tannins and enough freshness to carry the finish.
An arcane detail worth knowing is just how labor-intensive Pape Clément’s cellar work can be. The estate has employed manual berry-by-berry destemming, gravity-fed transfers into small wooden vats and macerations lasting as long as 30 to 40 days, techniques that are unusually meticulous even by classified Bordeaux standards. In the vineyard, horse and ox traction have also been used for certain parcels, a strikingly traditional practice for an estate now surrounded by the urban fabric of Bordeaux.
The 2018 vintage plays directly to Pape Clément’s strengths. There is an abundance of dark fruit and exotic spice, yet underneath the richness lies a distinctly mineral, almost iron-and-crushed-rock quality that keeps the wine grounded in its terroir. The palate is broad and creamy at first, then tightens through the middle with finely grained tannins and a long, smoky finish of graphite, cedar, cocoa and black fruit. Jeb Dunnuck awarded it 99 points, describing a wine of remarkable richness and grace, while James Suckling and Wine Advocate also placed it firmly among the elite wines of the vintage.
For collectors, the appeal is the combination of immediate grandeur and genuine longevity. The 2018 Pape Clément already possesses the plushness to be compelling with decanting, but its structure suggests decades of evolution ahead. It is a serious, cellar-worthy Bordeaux with historical pedigree, unmistakable Pessac-Léognan character and the kind of critical acclaim that makes it particularly attractive for anyone building a collection around the strongest wines of 2018.
Score
99 points, Jeb Dunnuck.
