2012 Pape Clement Blanc
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Tasting notes
55% Sauvignon Blanc, 5% Sauvignon Gris, 30% Semillon. Quite an intense nose with tropical notes of pineapple and passion fruit. This is full bodied and quite oily in texture with a generous touch of creamy oak but it is not overdone. Well-knit and impressive. FINE+RARE
Critic scores
Average Score
FINE+RARE
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
A rich, flamboyant wine, the 2012 Pape Clément Blanc has a lot to offer. Orange blossoms, ginger, mint, lychee, spices and layers of tropical-infused fruit are super-expressive in the glass. The Blanc is voluptuous, creamy and inviting. Not much is left to the imagination. Drink this unctuous, racy white over the next decade or so.
I am not sure what the exact blend is for the 2012 Pape Clément, but it has a light gold color and is a gorgeously full-bodied, multi-dimensional wine with great texture in its notes of rose petal, honeysuckle, crystallized/caramelized tropical fruits, mandarin orange and honeyed lemon. Aged 15 months in mostly new French oak, this is another brilliant achievement for proprietor Bernard Magrez from this tiny white wine vineyard, although I would rate it slightly below his perfect 2009. Anticipated maturity: now-2030.
About the producer
Among the oldest estates in Bordeaux, Ch. Pape Clément has been guided into the modern era by Bernard Magrez, who has managed the estate since 1985. It makes some of the best reds in the region.