Pape Clément 2011

Typical of the style preferred by Bernard Magrez, this is big, extracted, oaky and a little four square. For me, it's a little dry and lacking in finesse, but there's no denying the concentration or ambition of the wine. 10+ years.

Fragrant and lifted black summer fruits, very good natural ripeness and rather tough tannins that need time to show elegance and polish for the long term. Drink 2017-2035

I had the 2011 Pape Clement on four separate occasions and there was a slight sample variation, but this seems to be a fair estimate of its potential. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and the rest tiny proportions of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, the 2011 offers notes of lead pencil shavings, charcoal, barbecue meat, black cherries, black currants and plum sauce. This is a medium to full-bodied, dense as well as strikingly elegant and precise wine. The purity, palate presence and potentially complex aromatics always stand out in a Pape Clement. This example should drink well for 15-24 years. This great terroir, which is basically within a suburb on the southern outskirts of Bordeaux only 2-3 miles from Haut Brion and La Mission Haut Brion, is just over 100 acres.

The 2011 is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot cropped between 16th September and 7th October. It has a very refined bouquet with ripe blackberry, briary, crushed stone and graphite, almost Pauillac in style with impressive delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannins, good acidity and much more substance than I was expecting. It is a Pape Clement whose byword is: panache. It is supremely well put together, very harmonious with a seamless finish that slips down the throat. Unashamedly modern in style as one would expect, but it is very well crafted. Tasted April 2012.