2020 Château Pape Clément En Primeur
Pape Clément dates back to 1252 and was owned by the same wine-loving pope who made Châteauneuf-du-Pape famous, but it now uses drones and satellite technology in the quest for perfection. They have very nearly achieved it this year, with a potential 99 point score from Jeb Dunnuck, who describes it as "ranking with the top wines of the vintage".
We certainly found it one of the most intense and concentrated examples we tasted this year and we loved it. Neal Martin sums this up perfectly by describing "pure blackberry, cedar, mint and violet aromas, quite discreet but paradoxically intense" (95-97 points).
Bordeaux En Primeur, landing in spring 2023
To order, e-mail us at sales@richardkihl.ltd.uk
Producer Profile
Château Pape Clément, Pessac-Leognan
Château Pape Clément is a Grand Cru Classé de Graves estate in the communes of Pessac-Léognan. The first recorded harvest here was in 1252. The estate was gifted to Pope Clement V after his accession in 1305 (he had previously been archbishop in Bordeaux and was known for an interest in wine). Subsequently Clement V moved his court to Avignon, leading to the establishment of Châteauneuf-du-Pape as a wine.
Pape Clément remained the property of the Arch Bishops of Bordeaux until the late 18th century. In the 1970s, Bordeaux merchant Bernard Magrez (and owner of Domaine de Chevalier) first bought shares in the estate, taking full ownership in 1980.
52 hectares are planted with red varieties; 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. 7 hectares are dedicated to white varieties; 48.5% Sémillon, 44.5% Sauvignon Blanc, 5.5% Sauvignon Gris and 1.5% Muscadelle. In the last decade precision viticulture has been introduced, including drone technology.
