Château Pape Clément White 2016

AOC Pessac-Léognan

"Lemon cream, grapefruit, vanilla and green apples make up the bouquet. Full-bodied, soft and fleshy, this wine should drink well young. The wine was produced from a blend of 55% Sauvignon Blanc and 45% Semillon. No Sauvignon Gris was used in the blend this year. The wine is aged in a combination of foudres, concrete egg-shaped vats and new French oak barrels for 16 months."

Jeff Leve

Features

Location: Pessac
2016 blend: 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 36% Sémillon, 9% Sauvignon Gris, 5% Muscadelle
Age of vines: 26 years
Planting density: 7,700 plants per hectare

Tasting

"Yellow-green color. Intense, fine, fruity and lively nose. Notes of verbena and mint. Tender on the
particularly fruity, a little soft, but tasty, the wine finishes on a touch of spice and pepper.
finishes with a touch of spice and pepper. Good length.

JM Quarin

Food & wine pairing

Seafood
Grilled fish
Roast poultry
Cheeses
Exotic dishes

Conservation

5-10 years

Product from a High Environmental Value farm

Ratings & Awards

94/100
James Suckling
94/100
Wine Doctor
95/100
Wine Enthusiast

94/100

James Suckling

"A very classic Pessac-Léognan dry white that marries freshness and power, with notes of lemon, almond and herbs giving it great appeal. Then, the power reveals itself in the full, supple finish. Drink now or cellar.

94/100

Wine Doctor

"There are 7.2 hectares of vines, planted with 48.5% Semillon, 44.5% Sauvignon Blanc, 5.5% Sauvignon Gris and 1.5% Muscadelle. Vinification here is far more experimental than you might think, yes with new oak barrels, but also cement eggs. There's fabulous aromatic purity and vibrancy on the nose, which is very expressive, filled with mango, tangerine, guava, white peach and a mineral suggestion of powdered limestone. The palate is superbly textured and fresh with all the exotic fruit conveyed here from the nose, with wonderful substance and freshness. A very rich, textured style, full of vigor and energy, with real textured, powdery, mineral depth, a lovely central axis of acidity. Excellent."

95/100

Wine Enthusiast

"This is a gorgeous, ripe wine with abundant notes of rich apple and peach that are balanced by lively lemon acidity. It's exuberant, putting its fruit on a pedestal, and should age well."

Winegrowing singularities

Wine Singularities

Climate

Grape varieties: 48.5% Sauvignon Blanc, 38.5% Sémillon, 7.5% Sauvignon Gris, 5.5% Muscadelle
Age of vines: 26 years
Planting density: 7,700 plants per hectare
Soil type: Pyrenean clay gravel layer dating from the late Pliocene and early Quaternary periods
Vineyard management :
- Micro plot management
- Controlled grassing, cultivation of cavaillons by horse and ox ploughing
- Sustainable integrated pest management
- Topping, leaf-thinning and green harvesting.
- Hand-harvested in 2 selections
- Terra Vitis and HVE3 (High Environmental Value Level 3) certification

Winemaking :
- Fully manual filling of the pneumatic press
- Whole-berry pressing with very slow pressure build-up under inert atmosphere to protect aromas
- Gravity-flowing juice from the press into barrels
- Settling and vinification in French oak barrels
- Aged on fine lees with stirring
- 15% of wine vinified in new-generation ovoid cement vats
- Aged 14 months

The 2016 vintage in the prestigious Vineyard of Pessac-Léognan was characterized by exceptional weather conditions that produced white wines of remarkable quality. In spring, moderate temperatures and balanced rainfall favored even and promising flowering of the white vines, ensuring successful fruit set.

The summer that followed was marked by sunny days and summer temperatures, creating optimal conditions for slow, complete ripening of the white grapes. The cool nights maintained a natural acidity in the berries, giving freshness and balance to the white wines. Despite some meteorological variations, the vigilance of the winegrowers and controlled irrigation ensured that the vines remained healthy right through to harvest.

Overall, the 2016 vintage stands out for its complex fruit expression and elegant structure, offering tasters a rich and rewarding sensory experience. This exceptional vintage testifies to the remarkable potential of the Pessac-Léognan terroir to produce white wines of exceptional quality, consolidating its reputation as a leading winegrowing region.