Château Pape Clément 2021

Herbal nose, dark-fruited aromas, a touch of wood, hazelnut. Taut palate, medium-bodied, marked tannin structure of very good quality, builds pressure while remaining elegant, finishing on raspberry and blood orange.

Notes of warm currant preserves, dark tobacco and humus meld nicely through the finish in this red, which isn’t dense but avoids the vintage’s austere grain, showing good polish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2028.

Slightly toasty, highly fragrant nose with cool blue fruits. Quite intense, it feels a little pushed and over-extracted, with an austerity that comes in relatively quickly and overtakes the ripe yet cool fruit. The frame is nice, but the texture is a little pinched and streamlined, tapering off to a black tea and crushed stone finish.

This is really polished and beautiful, with very fine tannins that caress your palate. Medium body. Refined. Currant, chocolate, hazelnut and black walnut. Some mushroom. Very complex and subtle. Drinkable now but better in a couple of years.

The 2021 Pape-Clément, which was 90% aged in barrel (two-thirds new) and 10% in foudres, was quite a different kettle of fish when I tasted it en primeur, much more classical in style compared to recent vintages. Now in bottle, there is a gulf in quality between this and the Deuxième Vin on the nose—far more fruit, mulberry and raspberry, light cedar and humidor scents, and just a touch of lavender. The palate is medium-bodied with firm but not obtrusive tannins. There is only a fraction of the fruit compared to 2019 or 2020, yet it retains balance and there is an attractive sapidity toward the finish. This is one of those wines that will never reach great heights but will give pleasure over the next 15 or 20 years.

Chocolate, espresso, smoke, black cherries, blackberries and flowers create an attention‑seeking perfume. On the palate, the wine is round, supple and deep, with layers of creamy, dark‑chocolate‑tinged plums, cherries, licorice, smoke, and espresso. Concentrated, but seemingly less so than in previous vintages, the wine is almost reserved in style, which is due to the vintage as well as stylistic directions and choices. Drink from 2025–2050.

Deep ruby-garnet colour with purple reflections, delicate ochre rim. Nuances of dark forest berries with fine savoury notes in the background, ripe heart cherries, a hint of cassis, light woody spiciness, tobacco nuances. Juicy, heart cherries, fine fruitiness, silky tannins, good freshness, a balanced style, some nougat on the finish, already accessible, good ageing potential.

The 2021 Château Pape Clément checks in as a blend of 50% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, and splashes of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc that was brought up in barrels and tuns. Its deeper ruby/plum hue is followed by a beautifully layered, round, medium-bodied Péssac offering ripe black cherry and currant-driven fruit, some textbook scorched earth and tobacco notes, a round, layered, expansive mouthfeel, and ripe yet integrated tannins. It's one of the gems from Péssac that will shine for 15 years.

Sweet, forward and very complete, the nose feels rich with dense fruit and plenty of flesh. Despite a full, mouth‑filling entry, the tannins remain dry and a bit dull. Like all the 2021 Magrez wines, Pape Clément also seemed somewhat restrained in extraction and aromatics. The structure is racy, salty and endlessly long, while the accompanying extract sweetness appears fragmented and somehow not fully integrated. Plenty of tannin on the generous finish. This needs to be re‑tasted.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: (60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon) Velvety, deep, dark, powerful bouquet, plums, tobacco, mocha, licorice, currants. Densely knit, powerful palate with dense, dark fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a creamy, delicately opulent structure, multifaceted, powerful aromatics, long, dense finish. Has room to improve.

(60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon) Velvety, deep, dark, powerful bouquet: plum, tobacco, mocha, licorice, currants. A tightly knit, powerful palate with dense, dark fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a creamy, subtly opulent structure, varied, forceful aromatics, and a long, dense finish. Can improve further. 18/20 2029 - 2060

Enjoyable in bottle, restrained and elegant with finesse and balance, impressive blackberry, loganberry, liquorice, cocoa bean, crayon and pencil lead, savoury and juicy. Pushing the extraction a little but it works because there is plenty of fruit underneath. 90% French oak barrels, 10% large oak casks for ageing. Can age, but has a suppleness that means I would not worry about waiting too long.

A blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Pape Clement has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It tumbles out of the glass with notions of plum preserves and Morello cherries, giving way to hints of cardamom, wild mushrooms, and cedar chest, with a hint of crushed rocks. Medium-bodied, the palate is satiny and invigorating, with bright red and black fruits and a minerally finish.

An alluring nose expressing pure fruit and chalky, mineral notes of blueberry. A lovely full-bodied texture on the palate, with roundness (rare in this vintage), indulgence, and pure, elegant fruit. The finish is flavorful, with smoky notes.

Well-oaked, yet also smoky and spicy, the bouquet clearly highlights its complexity. As minutes pass, fruity and floral nuances take the lead with notes of peonies and black berries. With smooth, fine-grained tannins, the wine is inviting, ample, powerful, and above all persistent. A fine success.

Dark, intense colour, slightly evolved. A restrained, fruity nose. Juicy on the attack and more aromatic than the nose suggests, the wine develops on a medium-bodied palate that lacks substance. The finish, essentially smoky and fruity, rekindles interest and salvages the mid-palate.

This legendary estate, created by Pope Clément V, who was from the Bordeaux region, has produced a fine, densely textured wine. Its ripe tannins are typical of this estate, laced in this vintage by acidity and black-currant fruits. Drink from 2027.