Winemaker Notes
Blend: 44% Sauvignon Blanc, 16% Sauvignon Gris, 37% Semillon, 3% Muscadelle
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Fantastic aromas of papaya, lemon and pear with hints of cream. Full body, very layered and intense. Superb flavors and intensity. Vibrant acidity and freshness. Lasts so long on the palate. One of the wines of the vintage. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Strikingly concentrated, a la a grand cru white Burgundy, the 2013 Pape Clement exhibits notes of orange zest, white currants, flowers, exotic mango and melony fruit. This medium to full-bodied, compellingly deep, fresh white wine should drink well for 10-20 years. It is a candidate for the white wine of the vintage in Bordeaux. Range: 94-96
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Wine Spectator
This is on the showy side, with toasted macadamia nut, butter and creamed white peach aromas and flavors leading the way, followed by warm shortbread, mirabelle plum and lemon curd notes that stretch through the lengthy finish. Almost languid, but a fine thread of verbena maintains the tension while allowing the hedonistic side to strut its stuff. Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle. Drink now through 2020.
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Wine Enthusiast
This ripe and rich wine balances its wood-aging flavors with its ripe tropical fruits. Pineapple, apricots and delicious acidity are all present. It will be a rich and delicious wine, but needs time, so drink from 2020. The first harvest at this château was in 1252. The property is now owned by Bernard Magrez, a wine, art, culture and gastronomy patron.
Sometimes light and crisp, other times rich and creamy, Bordeaux White Blends typically consist of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. Often, a small amount of Muscadelle or Sauvignon Gris is included for added intrigue. Popularized in Bordeaux, the blend is often mimicked throughout the New World. Somm Secret—Sauternes and Barsac are usually reserved for dessert, but they can be served before, during or after a meal. Try these sweet wines as an aperitif with jamón ibérico, oysters with a spicy mignonette or during dinner alongside hearty Alsatian sausage.
Recognized for its superior reds as well as whites, Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank claims classified growths for both—making it quite unique in comparison to its neighboring Médoc properties.
Pessac’s Chateau Haut-Brion, the only first growth located outside of the Médoc, is said to have been the first to conceptualize fine red wine in Bordeaux back in the late 1600s. The estate, along with its high-esteemed neighbors, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pique-Caillou and Chateau Pape-Clément are today all but enveloped by the city of Bordeaux. The rest of the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan are in clearings of heavily forested area or abutting dense suburbs.
Arid sand and gravel on top of clay and limestone make the area unique and conducive to growing Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc as well as the grapes in the usual Left Bank red recipe: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and miniscule percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec.
The best reds will show great force and finesse with inky blue and black fruit, mushroom, forest, tobacco, iodine and a smooth and intriguing texture.
Its best whites show complexity, longevity and no lack of exotic twists on citrus, tropical and stone fruit with pronounced floral and spice characteristics.