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Pape Clément Blanc 2019

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Left Bank > Pessac-Léognan
ColourWhite
TypeStill
Grape VarietySauvignon Blanc/Semillon

The rare dry white wine of Chateau Pape Clement is made from around 50:50 Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc with a touch of Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle. Made from an 18 hectare plot.

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Tasting Notes

Bursting with aromas of grapefruit, gooseberry, tropical fruits and fresh bread, Pape Clément's 2019 Blanc is medium to full-bodied, bright and vibrant, its elegantly fleshy core of fruit animated by lively acids and chalky dry extract that lends pleasing grip to the finish. This is a seamless, refreshing Sauvignon-dominated (in percentage as well as personality) blend that is drinking well out of the gates. Though this derives from a warm terroir in a warm vintage, that's not especially evident, and this is far less unctuous and overtly oaky than was the case a decade ago. Equally, though it can't be faulted in terms of haut couture winemaking, the lack of yesteryear's pronounced signature reveals a wine that's just a little simple. Drink 2021-2031.

91
William Kelley, RobertParker.com (April 2022), April 2022

The 2019 Pape Clément Blanc is aged in French oak barrels and concrete eggs. The nose offers delicate scents of wild peach and Nashi pear, opening to reveal hints of apricot blossom; a light chamomile aroma emerges with time. The palate is very well balanced, taut and fresh, with a fine bead of acidity, good weight and a judicious touch of spice on the finish. Excellent.
2024-2037

92
Neal Martin, vinous.com, February 2022

46% Sauvignon Blanc, 14% Sauvignon Gris and 40% Semillon. Pale lemon in colour with a sweet, juicy nose of tangerine and passion fruit. There is a hit of sweet vanilla and nutmeg too. The palate is full of pithy citrus that emphasises fresh acidity, together with mango, passion fruit and baking spices. Still fairly tight, this should unfulrl nicely in bottle.

92+
Thomas Parker MW, Farr Vintners, November 2021

Aromas of green apple, lime, kumquat, fresh thyme, flint, stone and oyster shell. It’s medium-bodied with tangy acidity and a saline, mineral and zesty palate. Vibrant and intense. So much energy and freshness. Lots of vivid acidity. Tight at the end. Give this another three to four years of bottle.

97
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, January 2022

The 2019 Pape Clement Blanc is composed of 46% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon, and 14% Sauvignon Gris. It really wows from first sniff, with flamboyant scents of orange blossom, honeysuckle, and fresh pears, followed by hints of yuzu and chalk dust. The medium-bodied palate is super intense, with layer upon layer of citrus and mineral flavors, finishing with epic length.

95
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, May 2023

Beautifully rich on the nose, with a sense of forward motion and cool gunsmoke confidence. Full of flavour, this takes things slowly, building layer by layer with apricot, nectarine pit. Poised and restrained at first but expands through the mid palate, has a physicality and an architure to it that all great white wines need, and this is impressive. Harvest August 30 to September 12. Michel Rolland consultant.

95
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, January 2022

A blend of 46% Sauvignon Blanc, 14% Sauvignon Gris and 40% Semillon. Passion fruit and mango on a tropical, powerful nose that has a real hit of vanilla. The palate by contrast is firm and taut, with mouthwatering acid cut that makes the fruit more citrus in character. The finish is lime-driven and very acid at this stage, showing quite a hit of incense and spice. This will likely need some time to flesh out.

91/94
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, June 2020

The flagship white of the château is the 2019 Château Pape Clement Blanc, which is a mix of 46% Sauvignon, 40% Semillon, and the balance Sauvignon Gris. Its light gold hue is followed by a gorgeous perfume of mandarin orange, honeyed grapefruit, white flowers, and chalky minerality. I love its freshness and vibrancy on the nose, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a supple, sexy, opulent mouthfeel, good acidity, and a great finish. It's a beautiful, seamless, complete Bordeaux Blanc that will keep for 15 years or more in cold cellars, although it's stunning even today. The style of the white here today is one of more finesse and elegance compared to the richer, more sexy style of the past.

96
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com, April 2022
Read more tasting notes...

The 2019 Pape Clément Blanc has an attractive bouquet with scents of caramelised pear, peach skin and light waxy aromas. As usual, the oak is a little more prominent here compared to its peers. The palate is well balanced with a fine bead of acidity, subtle guava and lychee notes on the entry, perhaps even a little Muscat towards the finish. I would have just liked more complexity and mineralité to be expressed on the aftertaste. Tasted twice. 2024 - 2037

91/93
Neal Martin, vinous.com, June 2020

Lots of tangy fruit and beautiful depth. It’s full-bodied, yet racy and very, very long. So much salty and sliced-apple character here. Excellent minerality and intensity.

96/97
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, May 2020

The 2019 Pape Clement Blanc is a little closed at first, giving way to yellow apples and white peaches with sea spray and paraffin wax hints. Medium-bodied, it is intense and multilayered with oodles of freshness supporting the tightly wound stone fruit and mineral layers, finishing long and spicy.

94+
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, May 2022

A blend of 46% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon and 14% Sauvignon Gris, the 2019 Blanc was harvested from the 30th of August to the 13th of September. It was vinified in various types of vessels. Sixty percent was fermented in French oak barrels of varying capacities ranging from 225 to 500 liters, 22% of which were new. Seven percent was fermented in concrete eggs. Seventeen percent was fermented in large, French oak foudres, with 44% new. And 16% was fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. The nose of this nascent beauty was locked up tight for the first few minutes, eventually unfurling to offer subtle scents of fresh pineapple, green guava, kumquat and lemon zest with an emerging core of honey-drizzled white peach, chopped almonds and oyster shells plus a waft of baker's yeast. Medium-bodied, the palate is beautifully nuanced and poised, delivering fantastic intensity with a racy backbone and gorgeous satiny texture, finishing with epic length. Stunning.

95/97
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate (June 2020 ), June 2020
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.