2023 Château Pape Clement Pessac-Léognan Blanc

Château Pape Clément Blanc Grand Cru Classé de Graves is one of the most sought-after dry whites from Bordeaux, consistently ranked among the very top wines of the Graves. This vintage shows the estate at full stride, combining exotic fruit richness with crystalline precision and a distinctly mineral backbone. Crafted from a classic blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Sauvignon Gris, it offers a luxurious yet vibrant expression of Pessac-Léognan’s white wine heritage, drawing on a history that dates back to the 13th century and the time of Pope Clément V.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, the wine is a luminous pale straw yellow with greenish reflections, hinting at both freshness and concentration. The nose is intense and layered: ripe tropical notes of warm pineapple, fresh mango and green guava rise first, followed by hints of orange blossom, grapefruit zest and mandarin, with subtle nuances of nutmeg, lanolin and a cool, stony minerality. On the palate, it is full-bodied, rich and seductive, yet impeccably balanced. Waves of tropical fruit—pineapple, citrus peel, tangerine and pithy grapefruit—are wrapped in creamy texture from oak aging, framed by vibrant acidity and a fine, spicy line of oak and minerality. The use of French oak is chic and well-judged, adding structure and length rather than heaviness, leading into a very long, lush and mouth-coating finish. This is a white Bordeaux built for both immediate pleasure and cellaring, with the concentration, acidity and oak integration to evolve gracefully for 10–15 years from vintage, gaining more honeyed, nutty and waxy complexity over time.

Production
The fruit for Château Pape Clément Blanc comes from meticulously tended vineyards in Pessac-Léognan, in the heart of Graves, where deep gravel soils mixed with clay and limestone provide excellent drainage and help give the wine its hallmark tension and minerality. The blend—50% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Sémillon and 10% Sauvignon Gris—is harvested by hand, parcel by parcel, often in multiple passes to ensure perfect ripeness and selection of the healthiest, most expressive berries. In the cellar, the must is gently pressed and vinified with great precision, with fermentation and aging taking place in French oak barrels to build texture and complexity. The wine is matured for around 16 months in barrel, of which approximately 55% are new and 45% one-year-old, allowing the vibrant fruit and terroir character to shine through the carefully measured influence of oak.

Food & Serving
This sumptuous yet finely balanced white Bordeaux is a versatile partner at the table. It pairs beautifully with rich seafood dishes such as lobster with beurre blanc, scallops, turbot, sole meunière or grilled sea bass, as well as roasted chicken, veal in cream sauce, or refined vegetable dishes with truffle, mushrooms or fennel. It also shines alongside aged hard cheeses and creamy goat’s cheese. Serve slightly chilled, ideally at 10–12°C, to highlight both its aromatic complexity and texture. Young bottles will benefit from 30–45 minutes in a decanter to open up the tropical fruit, floral and spicy notes; more mature bottles can be gently served without extended decanting, allowing their evolved bouquet to unfold in the glass.

Producer
Château Pape Clément is one of Bordeaux’s oldest documented estates, with vine-growing on the property dating back to 1252 and its name honoring Pope Clément V, who once owned the vineyard. Located in Pessac-Léognan, in the Graves region just south of Bordeaux city, the château has long been a reference point for both red and white wines from the appellation. Under the stewardship of Bernard Magrez, the estate has undergone significant investment and meticulous refinement in both vineyard and cellar, elevating quality to modern benchmark levels. Its white Grand Cru Classé de Graves is now widely regarded as one of the finest dry whites in Bordeaux, regularly earning top critical scores and helping to cement Pessac-Léognan’s reputation for ageworthy, complex, oak-aged white wines.

We deliver within 2 - 6 business days. You can choose whether it should be to a parcel shop or home delivery. Free delivery to both parcel shops and your front door. Our store partners primarily use GLS, DPD, UPS and DHL for deliveries. We cover deliveries to the majority of countries in Europe.