Chateau Pape Clement 2019

JEB DUNNUCK: "As to the Grand Vin 2019 Château Pape Clement, it reveals a dense purple hue to go with stunning aromatics of crème de cassis, graphite, lead pencils shavings, scorched earth, and tobacco. Beautifully balanced, with flawless tannins, this full-bodied Pessac has that rare mix of elegance and power, a great mid-palate, and again, perfect balance. It's one of the gems of the vintage and has some accessibility today given its purity and balance, yet deserves 4-5 years of bottle age and will cruise for 20-25 years or more in cold cellars. The blend is equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, brought up in two-thirds new French oak."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Crushed-stone and berry aromas with some blackberry and black-tea character. Just a touch of smokiness. Sweet fruit, too. This is so refined, subtle, and beautiful for Pape with full body, ultra-fine tannins and a succulent finish. The center-palate is dense and complete. Goes on for minutes. So subtle and refined, focused and classy. Try after 2026."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Almost opaque in color, the wine kicks off with an intense array of smoke, tobacco, cigar box, flowers, spice, dark plums and blackberry aromas. On the palate, the wine is rich, lush, polished, full-bodied, deep, long and fresh. The finish crosses the 50 second mark with ease, leaving you with opulently-textured, layers of perfectly ripe, sensuous, rich, dark fruits. Because the amount of oak has been decreased during the aging process, the fruit is allowed to shine front and center, allowing for more vibrancy and purity. This is a top vintage of Pape Clement that clearly merits your attention. Drink from 2030-2060."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, dezente Randaufhellung. Mit feiner Edelholznote unterlegte schwarze Kirschfrucht, ein Hauch von Cassis, Lakritze und Mandarinenzesten, feines Nougat. Saftig, extraktsüß und elegant, reife Tannine, frische Struktur, reife Herzkirschen im Abgang, mineralisch-salzig, sehr gute Länge, ausgewogen, großes Zukunftspotenzial."

WEINWISSER: "50 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 50 % Merlot, 14 %-vol.. Tiefes Purpur mit lila Rand. Opulentes Bouquet mit viel Würze, exotischen Edelhölzern, Brasiltabak und Schokopastillen. Im zweiten Ansatz tiefgründige Cassiswürze gepaart mit dunkler Mineralik. Am kräftigen Gaumen legt der Bodybuilder richtig los, engmaschiges Tanningerüst, reifes, fein mürber Extrakt, der durchtrainierte Körper ist mit Muskeln dicht überzogen. Im gebündelten Finale schwarze kleine Beeren, Eisenkraut und eine edle Arabicanote, spürbare Adstringenz. Die Équipe geht immer ans Maximum, aber das passt hier – wird noch zulegen!"

DECANTER: "Density in all aspects here, quite a rich, broad and bold style but with precision, clarity and definition. It's big shouldered with plenty of heft and ripe fruit but well presented with great acidity that keeps the freshness from start to finish and this has a nice cooling minty aspect towards the finish. Tannins are firm, and still very present, needing to soften a little over time but this definitely has the weight, structure and fruit purity to have a long life ahead. Drinking Window 2027 - 2042"

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2019 Pape Clément has turned out well in bottle, delivering a rich bouquet of cherries, blackcurrants, plum liqueur and blackberries mingled with notions of burning embers, licorice and a nicely integrated framing of new oak. Full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it's a layered, fleshy wine, with a deep core of ripe but lively fruit, plenty of powdery tannin and a long, expansive, discreetly heady finish. This is a powerful, dramatic Pessac with a transatlantic accent and will drink well with only a few years' bottle age."

WINE SPECTATOR: " Quite rich, with an exotic hint to the boysenberry, plum and mulberry fruit flavors, which are carried by a velvety structure. Features a very stylish backdrop of apple wood, anise and fruitcake notes that adds more bling. This doesn't have the drive for serious cellaring, but it's still pretty gorgeous. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2023 through 2035. 16,650 cases made."