Description
Château Pape Clément, Pessac-Léognan Grand Vin
Take your mind to elite Left Bank Bordeaux for a moment. Now, which famous château would you envision if I said Galloni called their 2015 Grand Vin “one of the stars of the vintage,” Dunnuck put it “at the top of the hierarchy,” and Suckling was a single point away from a perfect score? Given all that, you’re probably imagining a First or Second Growth—maybe even Palmer or Pontet-Canet—but you’d be wrong. What about a château that was infamously left out of the 1855 Bordeaux Classification? This is Château Pape Clément, and while it’s hard to believe, I suppose we should be grateful because that’s the only thing keeping this epic Left Bank red from costing $200-$300.
For many, Pape Clément has become one of the great contemporary properties ever since wine magnate Bernard Magrez began releasing blockbuster after blockbuster in the 2000s. And when these wines are at their best (2015 is one such vintage), they’re never too far in quality or proximity from prestigious First Growth Haut-Brion. Savvy collectors already know the drill here: buy six bottles and lay them down for 10-20 years. That said, having just savored my own stellar bottle at Thanksgiving—it’s powerful and intoxicating with a fusillade of cassis, violet, graphite, and cedar—I highly recommend opening one now so you can get a preview of the profundity to come. Very little available.
Pape Clément’s exclusion from the Grands Crus Classés en 1855 feels like a wine crime when you consider how deep and impactful their history has been. Their very first harvest dates all the way back to 1252, and their owner in 1305, Raymond Bertrand de Got, was crowned Pope Clément V. Hence, Château Pape Clément. After the estate was excluded from the 1855 Bordeaux Classification, they found some redemption nearly a century later when the Grands Crus Classés de Graves was announced for several elite properties in Pessac-Léognan. Today, Pape Clément still belongs to this prestigious group alongside other legends like Haut-Brion, Mission-Haut-Brion, Smith Haut Lafite, and Chevalier.
Pape Clément is fastidious in both vineyard and cellar. They plow by horse, utilize electric tractors, and have started biodynamic trials that have all assisted in obtaining a rare (for Bordeaux) High Environmental Value 3 certification. Come harvest, the grapes are picked and sorted manually while being painstakingly de-stemmed by hand in the cellar. They are then transferred via gravity into massive wooden vats where manual punch-downs routinely occur during a long 30- to 40-day maceration. The resulting wine free-flows again into mostly new, high-quality French oak barriques for 18 months of maturation. Their Grand Vin consistently displays how power and concentration can coexist with elegance in the glass. In certain vintages, there’s a higher percentage of Merlot to Cabernet Sauvignon, but 2015 is tilted more to Cab Sauv at 56% with 40% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc rounding it out.
Even in its youth, it is immediately evident on the nose that this Grand Vin is elite, powerful Left Bank royalty. The ripe, concentrated fruits of 2015 are on full display but so, too, are aromas of pencil lead, graphite, cedar, cacao nib, fresh leather, peppercorn medley, and baked earth. The palate is medium-plus in body and overflowing with sumptuously dark and structured flavors of cassis, black cherry liqueur, roasted plum, huckleberry, and licorice. It’s a massive—but never cloying—tour de force that’s just starting to give a sneak preview into its extraordinary evolution. If enjoying soon, do so in your largest Bordeaux stems after ample air: a slow-ox at your discretion or a multi-hour decant. It’s great now, will be incredible in 3-5 years, and should be next-level stupendous around 2030 and far beyond. Enjoy!
