96 POINTS
Jeff Leve - The Wine Cellar Insider
Deep in color, the wine is floral with blackberry, boysenberry, licorice and espresso notes. Sweet with bright, crisp fruits, stylistically this is a bright vintage – tannin tensions paired with a fresh fruit edge. The wine was produced by blending 55% Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot, the wine reached 14.04% alcohol with a pH of 3.6.
Beautiful spice, tobacco, wet earth and blackcurrants with some raspberries. Aromatic and complex. Full-bodied, refined and layered with wonderful length and power. Yet, there’s always class and pretty length here. Seamless. Drink after 2022.
96 POINTS
Antonio Galloni MW - Vinous
The 2017 Pape Clément is outrageously beautiful. Rich, deep and luscious on the palate, the 2017 possesses tremendous energy and richness from start to finish. Sweet red cherry, red plum, blood orange, spice and herb notes abound in an unctuous, racy wine of the highest level. The 2017 is deep, explosive and wonderfully persistent. It has been terrific on the three occasions I have tasted it so far.
The Grand Vin 2017 Château Pape Clément is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot still aging in 60% new French oak. Harvest ran from the 15th of September to the 3rd of October, and I was able to taste this beauty on three separate occasions. Its deep purple color is followed by a blockbuster bouquet of ripe black cherries, blackberries, blueberries, graphite, and licorice. One of the more powerful, concentrated wines in the vintage, this medium to full-bodied effort has terrific purity of fruit, a mouthfilling texture, and present, ripe tannin. Too many 2017s lack excitement, but that’s not the case here. Give bottles 2-3 years and enjoy over the following 15+ years.
95 POINTS
James Molesworth - Wine Spectator
Very rich, featuring warm cassis and plum puree flavors, laced with singed
wood spice, melted licorice and black tea notes. Reveals a tarry hint, but this stays decidedly modern and polished in feel, with the fruit cruising through the finish with authority. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2038. — JM
94 POINTS
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW - Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Pape Clement is composed of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon and 45% Merlot, with a nose that is slightly closed at this youthful stage—broody and earthy with baked plums, boysenberries and mulberries aromas plus touches of iron ore, tobacco, tapenade and charcuterie. The palate is medium-bodied and elegant with exquisitely ripe tannins, lovely energy and freshness and a long, mineral-laced finish. Drinking Window : 2022 - 2048. 94+
94 POINTS
Jacques Perrin - Vinifera
Fruit mûr et voluminueux mais sans débordement, rehaussé par un boisé grillé et des notes épicées racées. Bouche élancée, veloutée, ample, stylée, à la fraîcheur préservée. La finale est longue et fraîche, reposante, très belle.
93 POINTS
Neal Martin - Vinous
The 2017 Pape Clément was not touched by the frost and was picked from 15 September to 3 October, manually de-stemmed berry by berry with some of the ripe stems added back into the blend (like Les Carmes Haut-Brion down the road). Malolactic is done in barrel where it aged for 18 months. It offers intense black cherry, raspberry, fig and sous-bois scents on the nose, tightly coiled at the moment with just a hint of cedar and tobacco. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin, a mixture of red and black fruit, touches of cedar and white pepper, leading to a structured and fresh finish that leaves a spicy aftertaste. Classic in style, this Pape Clément will benefit from several years in bottle.