Château Pape Clément 2023 en Primeur

This is really classy with length and polish that shine brightly. Also, you see blackberry, bark, currant and mushroom character. Full-bodied with wonderfully polished tannins and a seamless finish.

The 2023 Château Pape Clément is based on 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot. Its deep purple hue is followed by a beautiful array of red and black fruits, smoked tobacco, subtle leather, and savory herbs. It's not massive, but it’s medium to full-bodied, with a supple, elegant mouthfeel, seamless tannins, and just about flawless balance. Pure class with its overall balance and finesse, it should shine right out of the gate yet still have 25+ years of overall longevity. Tasted three times.

The 2023 Pape Clément is one of the most exciting wines I have tasted here in a long time, maybe ever. Intensely aromatic and layered, the 2023 is simply stunning. Dried flowers, mint, licorice, mocha, cedar and tobacco soar out of the glass. The purity of the flavors is simply mind-blowing. Plum, pomegranate, blood orange and spice build in the glass, adding notable textural richness and resonance. This is the first vintage vinified with indigenous yeasts. Aging takes place in a combination of concrete tanks, ceramic eggs, Clayvers, 400-liter barrels and 225-liter barriques. For readers who want to taste the “new” Bordeaux, this is it. What a wine! Tasted four times.

Excellent corps et texture charnue avec un grande sensualité typique de Pessac par rapport à Léognan, un vrai pape-clément qui enchantera ses consommateurs fidèles.

With aromas of blackberry, plum and crushed tobacco offering promise, I feel that the palate comes across a touch over extracted, with tannins coming to the fore. The good news is less new oak, so that the estate aims for balance, but perhaps the 2023 vintage here is not ideal? In any case, while I appreciate the intensity of the palate, I feel that one should be more conservative until after the bottling, to see the extent to which the barrel ageing will soften the palate.

The 2023 Pape Clément 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.