Château Pape Clément 2020

Château Pape Clément presents a structured and aromatic red wine from Pessac-Léognan

The property

Located at the gates of Bordeaux, the Château Pape Clément is one of the oldest wine estates in the region, with the first harvest taking place in 1252. Château Pape Clément owes its name to Pope Clement V who passionately managed his vineyard before donating it to the Archbishop of Bordeaux. It was then referred to as the "Vines of Pope Clement". In 1983, Bernard Magrez, the tireless builder and composer of rare wines, bought the property. Bernard Magrez, who now owns 4 Grands Crus Classés in Bordeaux, uses all his energy and determination to elevate Château Pape Clément to the elite of Bordeaux's Grands Crus. In 2009, Château Pape Clément was notably rewarded with a score of 100/100 by American critic Robert Parker.

The vineyard

Enjoying an exceptional terroir in the Pessac-Léognan appellation, the vineyard of Château Pape Clément covers 61 hectares of vines. The vines, with an average age of 28 years, are planted on Pyrenean clayey gravel soils. The vineyard is managed on a micro-plot basis. The Château Pape Clément estate is certified High Environmental Value 3, SME certification and Bee-Friendly.

Vinification and aging

The manual harvest is carried out on a plot-by-plot basis in crates, with a first sorting in the vineyard. After a second sorting on the table, the berries are transported by gravity to wooden vats of 30 to 70 hl and undergo a pre-fermentation maceration at low temperature. Manual punch-downs accompany the maceration, which lasts 30 days, to refine the extraction. Direct racking into French oak barrels and vats by gravity. The malolactic fermentation is carried out in barrels (2/3 new and 1/3 of a wine). The aging is 18 months in French oak barrels (90%) and vats (10%).

Blend

Château Pape Clément red 2020 is a blend of cabernet sauvignon (50%), merlot (47%), petit verdot (2%) and cabernet franc (1%).