Chateau Pape Clement 2021

JAMES SUCKLING: "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."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This rich wine from a legendary Bordeaux estate is full of spice and toast, with a backing of ripe white-fruit acidity. It has depth and concentration, a full-bodied wine that will age well. Drink from 2026."

WEINWISSER: "Süß, offensiv und sehr komplett, wirkt die Nase satt und mit dichter Frucht ausgestattet, viel Fleisch. Trotz sattem, vollmundig dichtem Auftakt im Mund bleiben die Gerbstoffe trocken und stumpf. Wie alle 2021er Magrez-Weine wirkte auch der Pape Clément etwas zurückgenommen in der Extraktion und Aromatik. Die Struktur ist rassig, salzig und ewig lang, die begleitende Extraktsüße erscheint fraktioniert und irgendwie nicht voll integriert. Viel Gerbstoff im generösen Abgang. Das muss man nochmal nachprobieren."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER:"Chocolate, espresso, smoke, black cherries, blackberries and flowers create the attention-seeking perfume. On the palate, the wine round, supple and deep with layers of creamy, dark chocolate-tinted plums, cherries, licorice, smoke, and espresso. Concentrated, but seemingly less so than in previous vintages, the wine is almost reserved in style, which is due to the vintage, as well as to stylistic opportunities, and choices. Drink from 2025-2050."

JEB DUNNUCK: "The 2021 Château Pape Clément checks in as a blend of 50% Merlot, 47% Cabernet Sauvignon, and splashes of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc that was brought up in barrels and tuns. Its deeper ruby/plum hue is followed by a beautifully layered, round, medium-bodied Péssac offering ripe black cherry and currant-driven fruit, some textbook scorched earth and tobacco notes, a round, layered, expansive mouthfeel, and ripe yet integrated tannins. It's one of the gems from Péssac that will shine for 15 years."

FALSTAFF: "Kräftiges Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Ockerrandaufhellung. Feinwürzig unterlegte, dunkle Waldbeerfrucht, reife Herzkirschen, ein Hauch von Cassis, zarte Holzwürze, tabakige Nuancen. Saftig, Herzkirschen, feine Fruchtsüße, seidige Tannine, gute Frische, ein balancierter Stil, etwas Nugat im Nachhall, bereits gut antrinkbar, ausgestattet mit Entwicklungspotenzial."

DECANTER: "Slightly toasty, highly fragrant nose with cool blue fruits. Quite intense, feels a little pushed and over extracted with an austerity that comes in relatively quickly and just overtakes the ripe but also cool fruit. The frame is nice but the texture is a little pinched and streamlined just tapering off to a black tea and crushed stone finish."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: " blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Pape Clement has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It tumbles out of the glass with notions of plum preserves and Morello cherries, giving way to hints of cardamom, wild mushrooms, and cedar chest, with a hint of crushed rocks. Medium-bodied, the palate is satiny and invigorating, with bright red and black fruits and a minerally finish."