Château Pape Clément 2019

Enticing, featuring a flash of brioche amid the white peach, verbena and lemon peel notes, with a subtle echo of salted butter through the finish. Stylish and sneaky long, too. Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Sauvignon Gris. Drink now through 2027. 1,665 cases made.

Finely balanced between richly textured and restrained savoury white pear and citrus fruits. Walks the line between the two, far more successful to my taste than perhaps a decade ago, when this was a bigger style of white. You can clearly tell this has impact and confidence, but it is beautifully complex and well put together. Fermented in barrel, large-sized oak casks, and (15%) in cement egg-shaped vats. Harvest August 30 to September 12. Consultant Michel Rolland. Tasted twice two weeks apart.

Aromas of green apple, lime, kumquat, fresh thyme, flint, stone and oyster shell. It’s medium-bodied with tangy acidity and a saline, mineral and zesty palate. Vibrant and intense. So much energy and freshness. Lots of vivid acidity. Tight at the end. Give this another three to four years of bottle.

Rich, full-bodied, ripe and fruity, with the depth and richness of oak. A big wine, well balanced in that style. Lots of freshness, too. More intensity than elegance at this stage. (JH)

Forward, fresh, round, and rich, the wine offers its core of orange and yellow tropical fruits, honeysuckle, and hints of candied grapefruit peel with little effort. Fresh, sweet, crisp and long, with waxy, yellow citrus and tangerines in the finish, you can enjoy this on release and over the next decade. Drink from 2022-2033.

Pale yellow-green, silver reflections. Delicate lime zest, white tropical fruit, a hint of apple, orange zest and, underneath, delicate blossom honey. Juicy, elegant, fruity sweetness, a hint of yellow peach and pineapple, pleasant acidity, lingers well, a harmonious food companion with development and some ageing potential.

Great intensity and purity with tropical notes of grilled pineapple, mango, alongside fresher lemongrass, lime, white flower and verbena notes. Subtle oak underneath; the palate is powerful and neatly marries vibrant freshness with opulent fruit, culminating in a tremendously long and vigorous finish.

The flagship white of the château is the 2019 Château Pape Clement Blanc, which is a mix of 46% Sauvignon, 40% Semillon, and the balance Sauvignon Gris. Its light gold hue is followed by a gorgeous perfume of mandarin orange, honeyed grapefruit, white flowers, and chalky minerality. I love its freshness and vibrancy on the nose, and it hits the palate with medium- to full-bodied richness, a supple, sexy, opulent mouthfeel, good acidity, and a great finish. It’s a beautiful, seamless, complete Bordeaux Blanc that will keep for 15 years or more in cold cellars, although it’s stunning even today. The style of the white here today is one of more finesse and elegance compared to the richer, more sexy style of the past.

Kunz barrel sample 2020: (46% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Sémillon, 14% Sauvignon Gris, 13.5% vol. alcohol) Silky, dense, full, fruity bouquet—grapefruit, peach, green herbs, chalk, mint. Fruity, powerful, velvety palate with sweet fruit, fine acidity, intense aromatics, long finish.

(46% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Sémillon, 14% Sauvignon Gris, 13.5% alc./vol.) Silky, dense, full and fruity bouquet, grapefruit, peach, green herbs, chalk, mint. Fruity, powerful, silky palate with sweet fruit, fine acidity, intense aromatics and a long finish. 18/20 2024 - 2040

Beautifully rich on the nose, with a sense of forward motion and cool gunsmoke confidence. Full of flavour, this takes things slowly, building layer by layer with apricot, nectarine pit. Poised and restrained at first but expands through the mid palate, has a physicality and an architecture to it that all great white wines need, and this is impressive. Harvest August 30 to September 12. Michel Rolland consultant.

The 2019 Pape Clement Blanc is composed of 46% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon, and 14% Sauvignon Gris. It really wows from first sniff, with flamboyant scents of orange blossom, honeysuckle, and fresh pears, followed by hints of yuzu and chalk dust. The medium-bodied palate is super intense, with layer upon layer of citrus and mineral flavors, finishing with epic length.

A pure, elegant citrus nose with golden aromas that reappear on the palate, with lovely notes of lemon and zest. Acidity and bitterness make the whole very refreshing. A wine that leads you by the hand into an Indian garden.

The nose is fresh, elegant and aromatic, with lovely definition, fine grain and elegance. It reveals notes of ripe/fleshy lemon, vineyard peach and, more lightly, peach blossom/apple blossom, combined with small touches of ripe citrus (kumquat, mandarin, quince), as well as a discreet hint of exotic fruit, juicy apricot, gunflint and very discreet hints of toasty/sweet spices. The palate is fruity and balanced, offering a juicy/finely tangy backbone, gourmandise, tension, as well as fine grain and elegance. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of pulpy/juicy lemon, vineyard peach and, more lightly, crushed apple, combined with small touches of juicy kumquat and quince, as well as very fine hints of juicy/ripe apricot, apple blossom, and an imperceptible hint of sweet spices/nutmeg and toasted almond. Good length.

Pale color. Intense, fruity and subtle nose. Immediately suave on the palate, with an airy body and a woody nuance on the finish. Does not match the remarkable 2018. Good length.

This vintage shows swathes of ripe fruits that have a youthful, textured character. Wood aging has added spice and rounded out the white-fruit-flavored texture. This complex wine will age and should be drunk from 2024.