2020 Pape Clement
Buying options
Tasting notes
All sourced from plots around the château, the 2020 Pape Clément is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot – and is particularly rich and concentrated this year. The nose is quite dominated by the oak at present, with cedar and spice notes, but underneath there is a wealth of scented pure bilberry and classic blackberry fruit, with a little graphite edge to it too. On the palate, it’s quite juicy and vibrant, packed tightly with layer upon layer of blackcurrant fruit. There is a density of fruit that needs time to evolve and relax – but there’s also juicy acidity that refreshes the palate. The tannins are almost easy to ignore here – they’re firm but supremely ripe, providing just the right framework for the fruit. Soft and supple textured, with a savoury twist on the long finish.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Powerful in colour, this has the glass staining red and purple colours that Pape Clément does so well. Touches of liquorice and cocoa beans, well handled, this gives power with one hand but takes it away with the other as the austerity and fresh mint leaf comes to the fore. Impressive, a really enjoyable, classically wrought but still full of concentration Pape Clément. Savoury, there is nothing too exuberant in the fruits but it exudes deft confidence.
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 Pape Clement comes barreling out of the glass with bold notes of cassis, plum preserves and licorice, giving way to scents of cedar chest, crushed rocks, charcoal and pencil lead. The medium to full-bodied palate is tightly coiled with beautiful tension and a firm, finely grained texture locking in the layers of black fruits and minerals, finishing with great length and energy. The blend this year is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot, aging mainly in French oak barriques, 66% new, with about 10% aging in large oak foudres. The wine will spend approximately 18 months in barrels.
Ranking with the top wines of the vintage, the dense purple-hued 2020 Château Pape Clement offers a sensational bouquet of pure crème de cassis interwoven with notes of liquid violets and classy oak. Possessing flawless balance, full-bodied richness, and ultra-fine tannins, it excels in this vintage and has a pretty, elegant, yet also layered and concentrated profile. It will drink well with just short-term cellaring yet evolve gracefully for 20-30 years. I was able to taste this on multiple occasions, and it always checked in near the upper end of the scale. This is a gorgeous wine in the making.
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.