Château PAPE CLEMENT 2023

Description

Neal Martin 93-95 points www.vinous.com
The 2023 Pape Clément is the first vintage fully employing crème de levures, using native yeasts in the vineyard to start the fermentation and improve balance, together with two native yeasts regularly employed since 2012 (to maintain some consistency). It was picked from September 5 to October 3 and matured in 60% new oak, including foudres. The 2023 is cut from a very different cloth compared to recent vintages. It’s much more classic in style, almost reserved, with tightly wound black fruit mixed with briar and light gravelly scents. The palate is medium-bodied with a light entry, just a pinch of spice and moderate depth. The silky, peppery, finish is more tertiary than you would expect to find on what was once quite a bombastic Pessac-Léognan. One sample had a soupçon of herbaceousness, whilst another at the château had none at all. Very fine. I like this new direction. though I would not regard this as a benchmark for future vintages. This will be interesting to revisit after bottling.

Antonio Galloni 95-97 points www.vinous.com
The 2023 Pape Clément is one of the most exciting wines I have tasted here in a long time, maybe ever. Intensely aromatic and layered, the 2023 is simply stunning. Dried flowers, mint, licorice, mocha, cedar and tobacco soar out of the glass. The purity of the flavors is simply mind-blowing. Plum, pomegranate, blood orange and spice build in the glass, adding notable textural richness and resonance. This is the first vintage vinified with indigenous yeasts. Aging takes place in a combination of concrete tanks, ceramic eggs, Clayvers, 400-liter barrels and 225-liter barriques. For readers who want to taste the “new” Bordeaux, this is it. What a wine! Tasted four times.

Yves Beck 95-97 points www.yvesbeck.wine

53% Merlot, 44% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Petit Verdot, 1% Cabernet Franc

Pape Clément ne manque pas d’afficher sa pluralité et son élevage destiné à lui donner des ailes pour survoler les années à venir. Avec un peu d’aération, le bouquet révèle sa profondeur, initialement masquée par l’élevage. Ainsi, il affiche des nuances de graphite et de baies noires complétées par des nuances florales et épicées. Le côté suave de l’attaque est rapidement encerclé par l’ampleur et par la vigueur des tannins, parfaitement intégrés, qui offrent une assise exceptionnelle à l’ensemble du palais. Un vin qui assume chaque élément qui le compose et qui convainc par son équilibre et sa force tranquille. Il faudra savoir lui laisser du temps… et cela vaut clairement la peine d’attendre.  2029-2050

Williyam Kelley 92-94 points www.robertparker.com
The 2023 Pape Clément evokes aromas of dark wild berries, spices, licorice and mulberries, followed by a medium to full-bodied, round and ample palate with structuring tannins and a firm, concentrated mid-palate that segues into a long, fruity finish. Less oaky than the previous years, this is a more contemporary expression of this great terroir. It’s a blend of 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot.