Château Pape Clément 2025

Clear, pure nose with no woody notes, showing floral aromas, peach, exotic fruits and nutty nuances. The palate is precise and delightfully delicate, with juicy fruit, wonderful acidity and concentration, yet feather-light and beautifully balanced. The finish is long, mineral and lingers with lemon zest on the aftertaste. A charming, finely wrought Pape Clément.

Straw, ripe peach and some waxy lemon aspects with really floral and fragrant aromas on the nose – smells rich and enticing. Beautiful succulence with a dollop of pineapple, lemon and lime, creamy vanilla and peach plus a touch of oiliness that gives amplitude and width. I love the intensity and delicacy here, a wine you really want to drink, full of fruit yet crystalline, focused, mineral, saline and salivating with fruit purity and impressive length. Some enjoyable pineapple bitterness with struck match and oyster shell salinity. Gorgeous precision and clarity – really nothing out of place. A glass I wanted more of immediately. 3.14pH. A yield of 18hl/ha. Ageing 65% in barrels (1/3 new), 16% in foudres and 21% in stoneware, concrete and stainless steel.

Honeysuckle, white flowers, oranges, mango, vanilla, white peach, pineapple, and smoke aromas fill the nose. The palate is round, lush, sweet, and fruity, finishing with crisp green apples, pineapple, white peach, and spices that enhance freshness and complexity. This will be a pleasure to enjoy upon release and for at least a decade after that. The wine blends 56% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Semillon, and 14% Sauvignon Gris. Not much wine was made; yields were only 18 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2027-2040. 95-95 Pts

Fruit driven, so juicy, laden with white peach and pear orchard fruits, lightly grilled without being heavy, an excellent white that has the structure to last but the generosity to give pleasure immediately. 33% new oak. Yield 18 hl/ha. Harvest August 20 to 25, 33% new oak. The vineyard footprint has gone from around 10ha down to 5ha, focusing on a clear limestone and clay-dominant sector, plus one highly impressive sector in Leognan by the former Château du Sartre.

The wine’s elegance is immediately expressed through its bouquet! Its complexity, too. The profile has clearly been updated, without disrupting the wine. The focus on detail and its multifaceted nature are what stand out. It isn’t seeking brilliance, but rather subtlety. On the palate, the wine benefits from a creamy, smooth attack. It distinguishes itself through harmony rather than temperament, through its ability to bring together delicacy, liveliness and volume into a coherent whole. A saline touch on the finish underscores the wine’s energy, enhancing freshness and length. A wine that still needs to fully crystallize its flavour expression. Ageing will help fine-tune that.