2017 Pape Clement Blanc
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Tasting notes
This is so serious with incredible density and a chewy texture. Focused and tight. Layered and fascinating. Lots of minerals and lemon rind. Great young white. Can’t wait to see it after its elevage.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
From a 6.7-hectare parcel of the Pessac vineyard and made from 55% Sauvignon and 45% Sémillon, aging in 55% new French oak, the 2017 Château Pape Clément Blanc offers a powerful, medium to full-bodied profile as well as smoking good notes of pineapple, lychee nut, and exotic flowers. None of the oak its aging is noticeable, it has bright acidity, a stacked mid-palate, and a great finish. It’s more elegant and focused than the blockbuster styled 2015, and has a chiseled, elegant style capable of lasting for two decades or more. Tasted three times.
This has a tautness and an intensity to it, with extremely well placed citrus and white peach flesh, a lick of fresh slate and some wet stones. Good quality.
Rich lemon and grapefruit on the nose. Full and broad on the palate but with much better freshness than in the past. Powerful but not heavy. Has the lovely waxy depth that the Sémillon brings. Full in the mouth. Lovely sour-citrus finish. This is really a revolution and a massive improvement in style. (JH)
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.