Pape Clément rouge - Pessac-Léognan 2021

Vinous

94

byAntonio Gallonithe4/2/2024

The 2021 Pape Clément is a very elegant, polished wine. Crushed flowers, red cherry fruit, blood orange, menthol and spice all grace this wonderfully layered, expressive vintage of Pape Clément. Pretty floral top notes add freshness and vivacity. The more

Vinous

94

byAntonio Gallonithe2/28/2024

The 2021 Pape Clément is a very elegant, polished wine. Crushed flowers, red cherry fruit, blood orange, menthol and spice all grace this wonderfully layered, expressive vintage of Pape Clément. Pretty floral top notes add freshness and vivacity. The more laid-back house style these days is so appealing.

Jamessuckling.com

95

byJames Sucklingthe2/22/2024

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.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

93

byJane Ansonthe12/6/2023

Enjoyable in bottle, restrained and elegant with finesse and balance, impressive blackberry, loganberry, liqourice, 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.

matthewjukes.com

16,5

byMatthew Jukesthe8/2/2022

As always, the oak is somewhat frightening, and the fruit is severe and commanding, but these two forceful elements are balanced, and while this is not a fleshy vintage, there is a good structure, and it feels complete and confident. I would love to see the oak step back a little to see more of the fruit, but this is not going to happen, and so for lovers of more imposing wines, this is a candidate for consideration this year. 16.5

Jamessuckling.com

95-96

byJames Sucklingthe6/8/2022

Pape made a very finely crafted and elegant wine this vintage, with plenty of berry, spice and earth character. Hazelnuts, too. Medium-bodied, savory and lightly spicy on the finish. Creamy tannins. Really fine, with lovely length.

Jeb DUNNUCK

91-93

byJeb Dunnuckthe6/2/2022

The 2021 Château Pape Clément, which was tasted on numerous occasions, is certainly one of the more mid-weight versions of this wine that I can remember. Giving up attractive cassis and currant fruits as well as tobacco and a kiss of graphite, it's medium-bodied, mid-weight, charming, and forward. I think it will be an outstanding wine, but we're a solid step off the top wines in the vintage.

Bettane & Desseauve

95-96

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/24/2022

Tous les échantillons confirment la réussite du cru, en particulier le grain de sa chair, large et généreuse, et son charme aromatique où commence à pointer le fumé.

The Vintage Journal

93-94

byAndrew Caillard MWthe5/17/2022

Deep crimson. Fresh dark cherry, blackcurrant, cedar aromas with sesame/ miso notes. Buoyant and richly flavoured with plentiful dark cherry, blackberry fruits, fine supple/ chocolaty textures and plentiful vanilla/ savoury oak. Finishes claret firm with an inky plume. Very good density and torque. 60% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon. 18 months in around 70% new French oak. 13% alc

The Wine Cellar Insider

93-95

byJeff Levethe5/16/2022

Deep and concentrated with a nose brimming with smoke, espresso, red plums and dark cherries, wet earth and a touch of chocolate ganache. Concentrated, but seemingly less so than in previous vintages, the wine is fresh, bright, chewy, long and almost reserved, until you get to all the vibrant red fruits, espresso and smoky cocoa in the finish. The harvest took place September 28 - October 14. Drink from 2025-2050. 94-96

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

93

byJane Ansonthe5/13/2022

Vinous

91-93

byNeal Martinthe5/12/2022

The 2021 Pape Clément was picked from 28 September until 14 October matured for a planned 18 months in 90% French oak and 10% in the foudres introduced in 2018. It is a completely diametrically opposite style to the previous vintages, partly a result of Michel Rolland handing the reins over to his right-hand man, Julien Vilaud, who has always had a different winemaking philosophy. On the nose: blackberry, sous-bois and cedar, not austere yet certainly a more reserved style. The palate is framed by quite gritty tannins, fine acidity, fresh and saline with modest depth on the finish that feels a little austere. Tasted several times, this is a fascinating, perhaps divisive Pape-Clément that might throw a few accustomed to its style of yore. One you have to get to really understand.

Vinous

92-94

byAntonio Gallonithe5/11/2022

The 2021 Pape Clément is a tightly wound, reticent wine. A core of bright red-toned fruit lies behind a wall of tannin and acids that is pretty impenetrable at this stage. I imagine the 2021 will come around at some point, but it is pretty austere in the early going. Tasted four times. (92-94)+

vvwine

92-94

byAdrian Van Velsenthe5/10/2022

Kräftiges Rubinrot. Die Nase zeigt krautige und dunkelfruchtige Aromen, ein Touch Holz, auch Haselnuss. Im Gaumen straff, mittelkräftiger Körper, markante Struktur, das Tannin ist markant, von sehr guter Qualität, der Wein baut Druck auf, bleibt dabei elegant und hallt im Abgang rotfruchtig nach, hinterlässt Himbeeren und einen Hauch von Blutorangen. Gute Anlagen. 2027-2044 (Verkostet im April 2022. Syndicat Viticole de Pessac-Léognan/Dourthe)

Anthocyanes

93-95

byYohan Castaingthe5/6/2022

Légèrement fumé avec des notes de fleurs, de graphite, de fruits noirs frais et un beau boisé grillé agréable. Bouche élégante, fraiche, possédant une texture juteuse, presque charnue, et une belle finale. Confirme son changement de style vers des vins plus fruités et ciselés. Belle structure équilibrée. L'un des plus petits millésimes de Pape Clément à cause du gel.

Wine Advocate

91-94

byWilliam Kelleythe4/29/2022

The 2021 Pape Clément exhibits notions of sweet berries and cherries mingled with rich aromas of espresso roast, black truffles, toasty new oak and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, deep and quite extracted in style, it's a rich, fleshy wine that gained in integration and harmony over the the three weeks I spent in Bordeaux. Tasted three times.

Decanter.com

94

byGeorgina Hindlethe4/1/2022

Concentrated and intense nose with subtle violet and perfume flecks. Quite chewy and grippy on the palate, this has more of a chunky frame than many others with mouthwatering acidity, plush tannins and a good dose of strawberry, blackcurrant and black cherry fruit edged by eucalyptus and liquorice. You get the liveliness but also the density and the gentle power and I love the minerality at the end, a touch of salinity as well as cedar, clove, bitter dark chocolate and slate. You've got a lot going on with this wine and it's one of the more confident wines from the Bernard Magrez stable in the vintage. This could be very excellent. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Tasted twice.