Château Pape Clément

Name: Château Pape Clément 2018
Brand: Château Pape Clément
SKU: pclem18
Price: 112.20 EUR
Availability: LimitedAvailability
Rating: 4.5 (4 reviews)

2018

96+

PARKER

15.5

JANCIS ROBINSON

97

SUCKLING

96

WINE SPECTATOR

95

DECANTER

4 reviews

Other bottle sizes and vintages

Spec sheet

Type	Red wine
Region	Pessac-Léognan AOC (France)
Grapes	55% Cabernet Sauvignon40% MerlotCabernet FrancPetit Verdot
Producer	Château Pape Clément
Allergens	Contains sulfites
Alcohol contenti	13.0%

The wine

The great Château Pape Clément wine arises from one of Bordeaux's oldest estates and its name has become a real icon of this great region and of French wine in general. It's also an excellent ambassador for Pessac-Léognan: elegant like few and accessible as almost none other. It features among the wines with the best price-quality ratio when we compare it with other Bordeaux Grand Crus and take into account its constancy and prestige throughout so many years.

It's made with a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in almost equal amounts, with rather more Cabernet in some vintages. From the 2011 vintage, the use of new barrels for ageing has been reducing (to 70% of new oak today) so as to adapt to modern times, ever more reflecting the true character of the fruit and terroir. In the glass, it's a ruby red wine in colour and fairly dense, with a typical Pessac wine nose: fruits, flowers, spices and the unmistakable smoky notes, of tobacco aromas and further nuances of leather and burnt wood on the palate, roasted notes. On the palate, fine work of great precision, a fusion of sumptuousness and refinement.

Ratings and awards

2020	96-98 PK	17+ JR	97-98 SK		94 DC
2019	96-98+ PK	17+ JR	97 SK	94 WS	95 DC
2018	96+ PK	15.5 JR	97 SK	96 WS	95 DC
2017	94+ PK	16+ JR	96 SK	95 WS	93 DC
2016	96 PK	17 JR	98 SK	96 WS	96 DC
2015	96 PK	17.5 JR	99 SK	95 WS	94 DC

PK: ParkerJR: Jancis robinsonSK: SucklingWS: Wine spectatorDC: Decanter

Wine critics reviewsReviews by Parker, Jancis Robinson, and Suckling

The 2018 Pape Clement is a blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc, aged for approximately 18 months in oak barriques, 60% new. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, it rolls out of the glass with vibrant notes of crushed black cherries, stewed black plums and black raspberries, followed by suggestions of violets, star anise, cardamom and camphor with a waft of iron ore. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers exhilarating energy, offering crunchy black berry and exotic spice layers with a solid frame of ripe, grainy tannins and loads of freshness, finishing long and mineral tinged. Still very primary, it will need a good 5 years in bottle to deliver that next-level experience and will drink over the next 30+ years.

— Lisa Perrotti-Brown (31/03/2021)Robert Parker Wine Advocate Vintage 2018 - 96+ PARKER

Tasted blind. A bit pinched and tarry on the end. Hole in the middle. More fruit please!

— Jancis Robinson (19/01/2022)JancisRobinson.com Vintage 2018 - 15.5 JANCIS ROBINSON

Aromas of wild blackberries, blueberries, dried lavender, cloves and eucalyptus with gravel and cocoa butter. It’s full-bodied with firm, powdery tannins. Polished and creamy with a core of ripe fruit that evolves to herbs, spices and chocolate. Fantastic concentration and seamless integration. Try from 2024.

— James Suckling (03/03/2021)JamesSuckling.com Vintage 2018 - 97 SUCKLING

Customer reviews

Vineyards

Climate	Continental

The winery