Château Pape Clément Pessac-Léognan rouge 2020 - Grand Cru Classé

Its name alone speaks to the status this estate has enjoyed for the past thirty years. Here, everything borders on perfection: the white and red wines are elegant and sophisticated.

 

The nose sets the tone right away, revealing remarkable complexity: notes of fruit, charcoal, and graphite… The wine is spectacular on the palate as well—very full-bodied and vibrant, with a hint of tartness that gives it great liveliness and extends the finish. A bottle of absolute harmony.

Bernard Magrez, who also owns the châteaux La Tour Carnet (Haut-Médoc) and Fombrauge (Saint-Émilion), has made this estate his flagship. Nothing is left to chance in the quest to produce the greatest wine possible. The pursuit of optimal ripeness, hand-destemming, and lavish aging… This is the archetype of a modern, luxurious Bordeaux that captivates immediately and evolves with great charm. On the flip side, some vintages have occasionally veered toward excess. Time, however, sets things right and tempers the wine’s fiery spirit, as the terroir eventually reasserts itself. Nevertheless, since the 2012 vintage, a shift in style has been noticeable, moving toward wines less marked by the sometimes excessive pursuit of ripeness and toward less aggressive aging—a trend clearly evident in our recent tastings, particularly with the 2015 vintage. The estate produces a small quantity of a white wine (aged partly in ovoid concrete tanks) that is delicately musky and possesses an elegance that places it at the forefront of Sauvignon-dominated Graves wines.

Pape Clément 2020 is outrageously beautiful. Dark, masculine, and imposing, the 2020 is a rare Pape Clément vintage that is vertical and sculptural. Black fruit, chocolate, new leather, licorice, and cloves infuse the palate with exceptional depth. In a word: magnificent. 2030–2050

Plenty of blackberry, iodine, and crushed stone. A hint of black pepper and graphite as well. Full-bodied with medium, fine tannins that have a powdery texture and open up on the palate. There’s so much going on. Hints of iodine and iron, along with a touch of raw mushroom, bring you back to reality. Powerful. This wine is meant to be cellared. Drink after 2027.

I loved the 2020 Château Pape Clément, and this gem ranks among the best wines of Pessac. Made from equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, aged for 18 months—90% in barrels and 10% in large oak casks— it boasts a deep purple color accompanied by a powerful and concentrated profile of red and black fruits, numerous nuances of spice, chocolate, and floral incense, full-bodied richness, and an almost salty, blood-like character on the finish. This gem exemplifies the vintage’s concentrated yet thoroughly classic, focused, and elegant style, and there is so much to love about it. It will be even better after 4 to 6 years of bottle aging and will be in top form by its 30th anniversary. 2027–2057

The wine remains as impressive as ever. The nose is expressive, with notes of raspberry and a hint of licorice that carry through to the palate with its characteristic texture. But the juiciness and freshness are very much present and are equally appealing. The tannins are well-defined, and the extraction is clearly spot-on, attesting to great mastery. This is a wine with breadth and body, finishing with a well-balanced licorice note that serves as a unifying thread. True to the estate’s style—and that’s a good thing. Once again, Pape Clément is a force to be reckoned with.

One grows accustomed to Pape Clément’s refined and subtle character, and it is, after all, more fitting than the exuberance we’ve seen in the past. Like the bouquet, the attack shines with its finesse and silky texture. The tannins are perfectly integrated, creamy, powerful, and ready to carry the wine through the decades to come. A brilliant wine, impressive in its precision, serenity, and length. 2027–2050