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2016 Château Pape-Clement

Removed from a subterranean wine cellar

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

98James Suckling

...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.

97Jeb Dunnuck

...huge, powerful, full-bodied personality as well as beautiful notes of cassis, graphite, high-class cigar tobacco, asphalt, and graphite...silky tannins and loads of fruit, it’s perfectly balanced and has a great finish...

96The Wine Advocate

...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.

96Wine Spectator

...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...

96Vinous / IWC

... A rush of dark cherry, plum, smoke, scorched earth, grilled herb, leather and menthol...compelling, inviting personality... Pliant, supple and super-expressive...

95Wine Enthusiast

...tannins cushioned within layers of black fruits...dense with structure and fruit while also having the freshness and acidity typical of this vintage...

17Jancis Robinson

... Freshness and lots of fruit. Neat and racy with lots of mineral excitement.

PRODUCER

Château Pape-Clement

Château Pape-Clement is a 74-acre estate in Pessac. It is a Grand Cru of the Graves classification. The château is named after Pope Clement V, the 14th-century French pope who caused a major upheaval in the Catholic church when he briefly moved the papacy to Avignon. After the French Revolution the estate was sold to private owners. The vineyards were destroyed in 1939 by a hailstorm. A local agricultural engineer, Paul Montaigne, bought it and restored the vineyards. Today it is owned and operated by Bernard Magrez, who is Montaigne’s heir. The vineyards are planted to 58% Cabernet Sauvignon and 42% Merlot. About 45,000 bottles are produced annually. The second wine is Clementin du Pape Clement. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called Pape-Clement “one of the quintessentially elegant, complex, and most distinctive wines of Bordeaux.”

REGION

France, Bordeaux, Graves, Pessac-Léognan

Pessac-Léognan was created in 1987 from the northern part of the left bank Graves appellation. Before then it was simply part of Graves, or sometimes it was called Haut-Graves. Unlike many other Bordeaux appellations, Pessac-Léognan is known for both red and dry white wines, although its reds are more famous. The appellation includes ten communes and the area’s most important châteaux, including Château Haut-Brion, the only non-Médoc estate included in the 1855 Bordeaux classification. There are 2,964 acres of vineyards in Pessac-Léognan and 16 classified growth estates. The main red grapes grown are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, along with a small amount of Cabernet Franc. White grapes grown are Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, with a little Muscadelle. Pessac-Léognan is considered to have the best terroir of the greater Graves region.