2017 Pape Clement Blanc

The 2017 Pape Clément Blanc is airy, weighty and so inviting. Hints of tangerine, passion fruit, white flowers and mint all lift from the glass. In the recent past, the Blanc has been oily and unctuous. There is plenty of textural depth to the 2017, but what impresses me most is its understatement and refinement. There is so much to like.

The Pape Clement 2017 Blanc (composed of 55% Sauvignon Blanc and 45% Sémillon) has loads of exotic fruit—pineapple, green guava and passion fruit—with crushed stones, fragrant herbs and mandarin peel hints. The palate is medium-bodied, intense and racy with a long, pure, exotic fruit finish.

The 2017 Pape-Clément Blanc, 15% aged in concrete eggs, needs a little aeration, eventually revealing dried honey, praline and almond aromas, a little earthier than previous vintages. The palate is very well balanced with a lightly spiced entry. There is a fine bead of acidity here, quite saline in the mouth. I find the oak is better integrated than previous vintages, ergo, I suspect that this will age in fine fashion. Tasted twice with consistent notes.