Chateau Pape Clement 2009

No doubt some will love this very impressive wine. With its very rich palate, notes of fruit jam and a roundness that gives an impression of sweetness, is it perhaps a bit too much? No doubt time will refine it.

The ageing has provided the necessary finishing touch: the wine is well balanced, the oak is restrained, and the fruit notes on the finish are promising. A pleasing development, even better than en primeur. With maturity, it could still gain another half point.

Although the 2009 Pape Clement may not be as sublime as the 2005 or 2000, but it is very close to those two efforts, and it will be fascinating to compare them (as well as the 2008 and 2010) over the following three decades. A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc with a modest 13.5% alcohol, the 2009 reveals considerable structure and tannin along with tell-tale notes of burning embers, scorched earth, graphite, blueberries, blackberries and toasty vanillin, and a full-bodied mouthfeel. This rich, full offering is surprisingly backward. This cuvee should drink well in 5-6 years as one rarely has to wait a decade or more to enjoy Pape Clement. It should age for three decades or more. This 13th century vineyard situated in the suburbs of Pessac is owned by one of Bordeaux’s most interesting visionaries, Bernard Magrez. He has done a remarkable job in turning around this once moribund property that made a bevy of undrinkable wines into one of the superstars of Bordeaux.

Rich and muscular, with exotic roasted spice, braised fig and warm raspberry confiture notes that are supported by a broad baseline of dark cocoa, tar and freshly brewed espresso. Not shy about its modernity, but everything is in place. Just needs to settle in with cellaring. Best from 2015 through 2030. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 7,500 cases made.

92-94 Barrel sample. Spiced pears in red wine, an exotic range of sweet berry fruits and nutmeg, along with a solid core of structure. Intriguing wine.

An early-ripening and generous wine in an early-ripening and generous year, this is full of the exuberance that it demonstrated when young. The terroir is starting to exert its influence now, with a lovely pull back on the finish as the tannins step up. It's still youthful and buttoned down but the fruit is exotically ripe and really starting to come into its prime, with traces of heavy black pepper spice. Extremely good quality, if vintage led.

Wonderful aromas of plums and blueberries and flowers. Full-bodied with plums, stones, hazelnuts and milk chocolate, and a long, long finish. Marvelous. Best ever. Try in 2017.

Rich, ripe and generous. Lots of oak sweetness. Plush so that it seems gentle but has a firmly polished structure too. Bold and rich. (JH)

The 2009 Pape-Clément has a very intense, slightly smudged bouquet with heady red fruit laced with smoke, hickory and light earthenware scents. It takes time to settle although, it does gain clarity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, well balanced with a fine bead of acidity. I find the finish just missing the tension of precision conveyed by say, the 2010 or 2016, to name but two superior vintages. This is a very fine Pape-Clément, but they have produced even greater examples in recent years. Tasted at BI Wines & Spirits' Ten Year On tasting.

Deep garnet in color, the wine inches closer to maturity with truffle, cigar box, leather, salty plums, tobacco leaf and red berries. Full-bodied, lushly textured, with ripe, polished, round tannins and some oak remaining to be resolved, the finish serves up layers of ripe, dark, velvet textured, polished fruits. This is still primary, so 6-8 more years of aging will come close to bringing this around. If you cannot wait that long, give it 2-3 hours of air.

Rich and vibrant nose, youthful with dark fruity notes—blackcurrant, cherry—alongside mineral and tobacco nuances, plus a touch of new oak and coffee beans. The palate is very dense and concentrated without heaviness, fresh and crunchy, with layers of dark fruit and a backbone of very fine tannins that brings freshness, fine spice and persistent flavours. Very long, lingering finish, filled with chocolate and dark berries. Seriously structured, already tempting but with huge potential; it will develop remarkably well.

Continuing to drink beautifully (my last bottle was a handful of years ago), the 2009 Château Pape Clément offers mature notes of blackcurrants, chocolate, cedar pencil, and loamy earth. It shows the ripe, sexy style of the vintage, yet most of its baby fat has melted away and it's showing a beautiful sense of elegance as well as classic Graves smoky, tobacco, and earthy aromas and flavors. Enjoy this beautiful, elegant wine any time over the coming 25+ years.

Ripe purple-garnet, dense at the core, with a violet sheen at the rim. An intense, warm bouquet: Amarena cherries, exotic precious woods, coffee, cedar and Dominican tobacco—less powerfully driven by the vinification than in recent years. Velvety, silky palate, lots of suppleness in the fairly rich tannins; blackcurrant, coconut and nut pralines in a tightly knit finish. This Pessac leans a little more toward pure seduction! Tasted four times. Twice at 18/20 level, then the two better impressions at 19/20. 14: Extremely dark, saturated purple with almost black reflections. Incredibly sweet bouquet: lots of cherry, a hint of Amarena, ruby Port, stewed fruit; the alcoholic impression sits at the upper limit, but that’s also somewhat vintage-typical in this category. Massive, compact and extremely concentrated on the palate, showing a demanding astringency from powerful tannins that will likely evolve only slowly; fortunately the tannins are fat on the outside, masking the inner strictness a bit. In that sense it’s also somehow “young and exciting.” One of the Pape legends. The only question is whether the classic side will emerge before it has shed some of its modernity. I estimate real drinking maturity from around 2020. (19/20). 14: Ruedi Waser brought two bottles to a Thai restaurant at Zurich airport before we flew (sadly without him) to Rovaniemi, Finland, for snowmobile riding. This was a modern, oenological knockout—naturally helped along by the blockbuster 2009 vintage. In short: gigantic! (19/20). 18: Black with purple toward the outside and a rim showing a certain orange tinge, possibly from partially raisined grapes. The nose is massive and hot, revealing extreme grape ripeness (raisins, sultanas and figs), then shifting to cocoa, coffee and Colheita Port. A rollercoaster of aromas. On the palate it’s a clear case for the narcotics squad: unbelievably fat and melting, almost explosively mouth-filling. A clearly 2009-styled wine that seems like a blend of rich Pape, lots of forceful vintage typicity and an unreasonable dose of a fiery Californian. You have to love it—and, as a die-hard Bordeaux fan, tolerate it. Because exactly these facts make it an over-erotic Pessac thriller. (19/20) 19: Deep purple, dense at the center, garnet shimmer at the rim. The bouquet is black-berry driven—blackberries and blackcurrant—enhanced by cinnamon notes, precious woods, and intense coffee and toasted oak. On the palate the wine tries to be creamy, but still-massive tannins and extraction markers get in the way. Essentially this is an ultra-modern vinification drug. That’s what the Pape wines of that period were like: made to please Parker. But slowly a truly great wine is beginning to show beneath. One that can easily win blind tastings. Unfortunately, pretty damn sexy! (19/20). 20: As so often in recent years, there’s almost always a 2009 Pape when Ruedi Waser is nearby. This time at Restaurant Obermatt. The former bomb is becoming increasingly classic, yet remains powerful and mighty. No Pessac diet. But a real polka in the glass. (19/20). 20: One of the darkest colors of all the wines tasted. The bouquet is extremely profound and starts with cold smoke notes, black pepper powder, essential oils, dark raisins, dried baking plums, Karbonileum, black currant and lots of licorice. On the second pass: rosewood, teak, Darjeeling tea and pumpernickel bread. The palate is just as intense aromatically. The tannins surprise with very fine elements that at times take on silky contours in the flow. In recent years it has shed its “over-the-top” character and surprises with a new horizon. (19/20). 21: Dark purple with ruby reflections. Powerful, sprawling bouquet that kicks off like an aroma bomb—from the very first second. Ripe fruit in every shade; within the intoxicating sweetness there are also touches of dried fruit and a minimal, vintage-appropriate Port-like glint. On the palate, dramatic fullness while still keeping a certain physical composure; a forceful, dramatic finish. Parker gives it 100/100. If I rated with the same system, I’d probably be at 98/100. What I mean—rather, what I’m trying to write—is this: the maximum score may already be within reach for me. (19/20).

Velvety, dense, creamy bouquet with finely opulent notes: dried plums, tobacco, precious woods, currants, mocha. Creamy, dense, full-bodied palate with tightly woven fruit, lots of fine tannin, a lush structure, powerful dark aromatics, and a long, compact finish. 19/20 drink through 2040.

Opulent mouthfeel, grilled sandalwood oak set against bitter chocolate, creamy damson fruits, pulses of cumin, marzipan and rosemary spice. A gourmet, rich example of the vintage, full of estate signature, and very enjoyable. 100% new oak for ageing, Michel Rolland consultant.

A powerful, commanding nose with very ripe fruit, minerality, spices, and harmonious, well-integrated oak. The palate is dense and deep, with a fine tannic structure and great vitality. Very imposing and balanced, built to age.

Supple and fairly harmonious, with a slight tannic firmness; not very full-bodied, but with plenty of elegance and length. One of the finest ever.

Marked by graphite nuances, Pape Clément 2009 above all shows freshness with a touch of noble vegetal character. Dense and creamy on the palate, it offers smooth, perfectly integrated tannins and a refreshing tension, most welcome in the context of this full-bodied, muscular wine.

Logo on the cork: an inverted T (Trescases) Dark colour, normal intensity and slightly developed. Intense nose with rather fresh fruit and a touch of blackcurrant. Broad on the attack and very precise on the palate, the wine develops into a juicy, very savoury profile before taking on a slightly more lively character on the finish. Thankfully, it rebounds with an aromatic final note.