Château Pape Clément Blanc 2021

AOC Pessac-Léognan

"The Pape Clément Blanc 2021 offers lovely unctuosity and richness, but in the more restrained, medium-weight style that has characterized these wines of late. Ripe pear, tangerine oil, passion fruit, mint and jasmine open up with a little time in the glass. The year 2021 is promising. Tasted three times.

Vinous

Features

Location: Pessac
2023 blend: 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Sémillon
Age of vines: 23 years
Planting density: 7,500 plants per hectare

Tasting

"The color is straw with a very pretty, intense sauvignon nose, but not only that, as good complexity reveals itself on aeration with notes of peach and green apple. The wine starts out fresh, then gradually unfolds with lovely substance and hints of honey, finishing with classy Semillon.
Technical characteristics. Grape varieties: 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Semillon.

BERNARD BURTSCHY

Food & wine pairing

Seafood
Grilled fish
Poultry
Cheeses
Asian dishes
Risotto

Conservation

5-10 years

Product from a High Environmental Value farm

Ratings & Awards

97/100
James Suckling
94/100
Wine Advocate

97/100

James Suckling

"Serious and refined with dried lemon, pineapple, green apple, almond, flint and a bit of anise. Bright and tight. Medium- to full-bodied. Fresh and seductive.

94/100

Wine Advocate

"Pape Clément Blanc 2021 shows the tension and cut this vintage could bring to dry white Bordeaux. Exhibiting aromas of gooseberry, nectarine, candied citrus and custard, it is medium to full-bodied, fleshy yet incisive, with a textural attack and a bright, saline finish."

Winegrowing singularities

Wine Singularities

Climate

Grape varieties: 75% Sauvignon Blanc, 22% Sémillon, 2% Sauvignon Gris, 1% Muscadelle
Age of vines: 23 years
Planting density: 7,500 plants per hectare
Soil type: Pyrenean clay gravel layer dating from the late Pliocene and early Quaternary periods
Vineyard management
- Micro-parcel management.
- Controlled weeding, cultivation of cavaillons by animal-drawn ploughing.
- Sustainable pest management.
- Pruning, leaf removal.
- Hand-harvested in 2 selections.

Winemaking
- First sorting in the vineyard.
- Fully manual filling of the pneumatic press.
- Whole-berry pressing with very slow pressure build-up in an inert atmosphere to protect the aromas.
- Gravity-flowing juice from the press into barrels.
- Settling and vinification in French oak barrels and foudres.
- Aged on fine lees with regular stirring of the lees.

The 2021 vintage in the prestigious Vineyard of Pessac-Léognan was a particularly favorable year for the production of exceptional white wines. In spring, rainfall was well distributed, favoring uniform flowering and promising setting of the white grape bunches. The summer that followed was characterized by moderate temperatures, providing an ideal setting for gradual, harmonious ripening of the white grapes.

The cool nights played a crucial role in preserving a balanced natural acidity in the berries, giving freshness and vivacity to the white wines. In addition, controlled rainfall helped keep the vines healthy throughout the growing season, ensuring optimal conditions right up to harvest.

Overall, these ideal weather conditions have enabled the white wines of Pessac-Léognan to reveal all their elegance and finesse. The 2021 vintage thus stands out for its subtle fruity expression and refined structure, offering wine-lovers a memorable oenological experience full of promise. This exceptional vintage testifies to the ability of the Pessac-Léognan terroir to produce white wines of remarkable quality, consolidating its reputation as a leading wine-growing region.