Ch Pape Clement Grand Cru

History
Château Pape Clément, located in Pessac, at the gates of Bordeaux, owes its name and its history to its most famous owner: Pope Clement V. It is one of the oldest Grands Crus of Bordeaux. Its vineyard was established in the 13th century and the first harvest took place in 1252. Château Pape Clément belongs since 1959 to the restricted circle of Grands Crus Classés de Graves. This property is one of the jewels of Bernard Magrez’s wide range of vineyards around the world.

Terroir & Vinification
Based on a terroir with exceptional components, the 60 hectares of this vineyard devote the meeting of passion and work. The blend consists of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 49% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The average age of the vines is about 30 years old. Each parcel, each foot, each bay is cherished then transformed according to strict rules. The size and stripping are a rare requirement, vinification and breeding are done according to the strictest rules, everything is done for nature to express its best. The harvest is manual in small crates with a first sorting in the vineyard and, since 2001, more than 200 people are carefully picking the grapes.

Château Pape Clément thus remains the only Grand Cru of Bordeaux to choose such a selective procedure for all of its production. Oenologist Michel Rolland oversees the delicate period of vinification. For more than 40 years, Bernard Magrez has been relentlessly looking for the latest technologies to achieve excellence. In 2014 the castle introduced the drone baptised “Towards Excellence” in the quest for precision viticulture. This revolutionary tool will contribute to the good management of the vineyard.

Tasting
At the tasting, Pape Clement offers a frank and round attack, the perfumes of leather and burnt wood reveal all the elegance of the wine, and end on a final of a remarkable length.