Château Pape Clément - Pessac-Léognan (Grand Cru Classé de Graves) 2016 (750ml)

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Price: $149.99

Producer	Château Pape Clément
Country	France
Region	Bordeaux
Subregion	Pessac-Léognan
Varietal	Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage	2016
Sku	111864
Size	750ml
ABV	13.00%

Château Pape Clément Description

Bernard Magrez acquired the prestigious Château Pape Clément in the 1980s. It was his very first vineyard. Now owner of three other Grands Crus Classés in the Bordeaux region, La Tour Carnet (Haut Médoc) Château Fombrauge (Saint-Emilion) and Clos Haut Peyraguey (Sauternes), Bernard Magrez is today an important Bordeaux businessman in the wine sector, owner of 42 great international estates.

Sight : A wine of good density ruby red, with brown, mahogany, biscuit hints. It has maintained its luster and clarity. The rim is fairly thick. The tears are fine, clear, abundant and regular. Smell: At once expressive, forthright and complex. There are notes of all families of fragrance: fruit, flowers, and spices.
Taste : The attack is forthright, round and suave, soothing even. The intense aromas initially recall the complexity of the nose. There is leather and lightly charred wood, and roasted notes. The beauty of the vintage is revealed by its elegance rather than its full-flavor. The wine has an attractive aromatic range with a finish of remarkable elegance.

Blend: 60% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot,1% Cabernet Franc

Critical Acclaim

JS98
James Suckling
Stunning concentration of perfectly ripe blackcurrants here with a delicate whiff of vanilla oak and extremely fine tannins that are almost perfectly integrated on the seductive and delicate palate, right through the almost literally breathtaking, super-long and very polished finish. Try from 2022.
JD97
Jeb Dunnuck
Tasted on two separate occasions, the 2016 Château Pape Clément never failed to disappoint, offering a huge, powerful, full-bodied personality as well as beautiful notes of cassis, graphite, high-class cigar tobacco, asphalt, and graphite. About as sexy as it gets in the vintage, with silky tannins and loads of fruit, it’s perfectly balanced and has a great finish. The 2016 is a blend of 60% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, all raised in 60% new barrels.
WS96
Wine Spectator
This takes a slightly different tack than many of its Pessac colleagues, relying less on bramble and tar and more on alluring toast, with mocha, anise, wood spice and black tea notes draped liberally over the core of sappy kirsch and cherry preserve flavors. Plush and suave through the finish, though this needs a bit of time for the wood elements to be fully integrated with the fruit. For fans of the flashier, cashmere-textured style. Best from 2023 through 2037.
RP96
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Blended of 60% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Pape Clement has a deep garnet-purple color and quite a serious, earthy nose with truffles, tilled soil, underbrush and smoked meats over a cassis, baked plums and redcurrants core plus a touch of lavender. Medium to full-bodied, firm and grainy, the palate is built like a brick house, supporting muscular black fruit and earthy notions and finishing very long and mineral laced.
WE95
Wine Enthusiast
This rich, warm wine offers tannins cushioned within layers of black fruits. It is dense with structure and fruit while also having the freshness and acidity typical of this vintage. The wine will age for several years, becoming richer and more opulent. Drink from 2025.
D95
Decanter
An extremely attractive Pape Clement, with its own style and the feeling of the fruit being layered over a silky, seductive line of dark chocolate and tarry oak – and it works. This is big but has good balance, not over the top. It's enjoyable, silky and richly textured, and will age well. The tannins start to build on the finish, with a chewy quality that speaks of the extraction. There’s a lot to enjoy here.
CG94
Connoisseurs' Guide
Invariably a wine that makes no apologies for ripeness and one that exhibits an extra degree of concentration and fruity richness right from the opening bell, Pape Clément is in fine and familiar form in 2016 and is a broad, liberally filled effort of compelling depth. It is moderately full-bodied, slightly supple feel and carries its ample tannins with a good deal of grace, and, it is, all in all, a complete and eminently collectable wine that ranks with the better bottlings of its appellation.