Pape Clement Rouge 2017 (750ML)

96 JS / 96 VM / 96 WCI / 95 WI / 95 WS / 94+ WA / 94 WE / 93 JD / 93 DE / 93 FS / 17 JR

#84 James Suckling's Top 100 Wines of France 2020

Beautiful spice, tobacco, wet earth and blackcurrants with some raspberries. Aromatic and complex. Full-bodied, refined and layered with wonderful length and power. Yet, there’s always class and pretty length here. Seamless. Drink after 2022. - James Suckling

The 2017 Pape Clément is outrageously beautiful. Rich, deep and luscious on the palate, the 2017 possesses tremendous energy and richness from start to finish. Sweet red cherry, red plum, blood orange, spice and herb notes abound in an unctuous, racy wine of the highest level. The 2017 is deep, explosive and wonderfully persistent. It has been terrific on the three occasions I have tasted it so far. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

The 2017 Pape Clement has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It comes bounding out with exuberant notions of baked blackberries, redcurrant preserves, and cassis, plus hints of cedar chest, graphite, and tar. Medium-bodied, the palate is refreshing and elegant, delivering a good intensity of red and black fruit layers with firm, grainy tannins, finishing long and earthy. -Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent

Very rich, featuring warm cassis and plum puree flavors, laced with singed wood spice, melted licorice and black tea notes. Reveals a tarry hint, but this stays decidedly modern and polished in feel, with the fruit cruising through the finish with authority. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2038. - James Molesworth, Wine Spectator

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Pape Clement is composed of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot, with a nose that is slightly closed at this youthful stage—broody and earthy with baked plums, boysenberries and mulberries aromas plus touches of iron ore, tobacco, tapenade and charcuterie. The palate is medium-bodied and elegant with exquisitely ripe tannins, lovely energy and freshness and a long, mineral-laced finish.-The Wine Advocate

This solid, densely textured wine has fine tannins that match richness in the blackberry fruits. It is classically structured, suggesting an elegant, ripe and impressive future. Drink from 2023. — Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast

Checking in as a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot that was brought up in 60% new French oak, the 2017 Chateau Pape Clement is going to check in behind the brilliant 2015 and 2016, but it's nevertheless a brilliant wine from this estate worth having in the cellar. Great notes of blackcurrants, smoked tobacco, gravelly earth, mocha, and hints of licorice all flow to a medium to full-bodied wine that has remarkable purity of fruit as well as polished tannins. It builds nicely with time in the glass and reminds me of a toned-down version of the 2016. This complex, elegant, flawlessly balanced Pessac can be drunk today with incredible pleasure or cellared for 15-20 years.-Jeb Dunnuck

Among the deepest in colour, as is often the case with Pape Clement. The fruit feels well defined with blasts of blueberry and raspberry. It feels carefully worked, with toasted oak notes giving sweetness and finesse. An impressive wine and one of the successes of the appellation in this vintage, that has settled in to itself over ageing.-Jane Anson, Decanter

Deepest crimson. Rich, ripe and generously fruited on the nose. Blackcurrant and blackberry. Chewy, deep fruited but no lack of finesse thanks to the smoothness of the tannins even though they are compact. Seems more delicate and fresher than the Pape Clément norm – a good thing in my opinion. Long and should age well.-Julia Harding MW, JancisRobinson