2025 Pape-Clement Rouge (Pessac-Leognan)

Wide ranging and expansive, love the bright cherry pit and damson, a ton of expansion and character, luscious with dark berry fruits, espresso and cocoa bean. Julien Viaud consultant. A new group technical director has come over from Penfolds, Pablo Laborde, joined in early 2026 so for the blending and ageing of this vintage. Harvest September 3 to 25. Yield 23 hl/ha. 50% of the wine in barrels of which 25% is new. 55ha, with a recentering to the historical vineyard around the estate in Pessac. Indigenous yeast fermentation. 94 points

The 2025 Pape Clement is magnificent. The aromatics alone are captivating. Strong floral and savory notes soar from the glass. Lavender, rose petal, sage, mint and mocha lead into a core of wonderfully vibrant red/purplish fruit. Medium in body and deep, Pape Clement is positively stellar in 2025. The Cabernets and Petit Verdot add tons of aromatic presence. Elevage is 85% in barrique and 15% in foudre, with a relatively modest 33% new oak. 95-97 points

The 2025 Pape Clement was picked between September 3 and 25, fermented using their own yeast strains and matured in 85% barrel (one-third new) and the remainder in foudres. A large amount of the Cabernet Sauvignon was picked after the rain on September 20, using optical sorting, and underwent a gentle extraction with a shorter maceration up to 26°C. It has quite an opulent bouquet, with luxuriant black cherries, blueberry and blood orange scents, a touch of peppermint emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied and delivers quite a grip on the entry, with layered black fruit, quite compact on the mid-palate, a little hard-edged on the finish, though that should soften during the barrel maturation. Quite dense on the finish, this is an impressive Pape Clement but it needs to foment more charm by the time of bottling. 93-95 points