2020 Château Pape Clément Pessac-Léognan Grand Cru classé de Graves

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2020 Pape Clement comes barreling out of the glass with bold notes of cassis, plum preserves and licorice, giving way to scents of cedar chest, crushed rocks, charcoal and pencil lead. The medium to full-bodied palate is tightly coiled with beautiful tension and a firm, finely grained texture locking in the layers of black fruits and minerals, finishing with great length and energy. The blend this year is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot, aging mainly in French oak barriques, 66% new, with about 10% aging in large oak foudres. The wine will spend approximately 18 months in barrels." (Lisa Perrotti-Brown)

Jeb Dunnuck: "Ranking with the top wines of the vintage, the dense purple-hued 2020 Château Pape Clement offers a sensational bouquet of pure crème de cassis interwoven with notes of liquid violets and classy oak. Possessing flawless balance, full-bodied richness, and ultra-fine tannins, it excels in this vintage and has a pretty, elegant, yet also layered and concentrated profile. It will drink well with just short-term cellaring yet evolve gracefully for 20-30 years. I was able to taste this on multiple occasions, and it always checked in near the upper end of the scale. This is a gorgeous wine in the making." (www.jebdunnuck.com)

Weinwisser: "Tiefgründiges Purpur mit opaker Mitte und zartem lila Rand. Intensiver Beginn mit einer vollen Ladung schwarzer Johannisbeeren, exotische Hölzer und Lakritze, dahinter grosser Veilchenstrauss, dunkle Schokonoten und Holundergelee. Am konzentrierten Gaumen mit weicher Textur, engmaschigem (fast brachiales) Tanninkorsett, stützender Rasse; ein mit dichten Muskeln überzogener Bodybuilder, der trotz der massiven Konzentration viel Spannung zeigt. Im energiegeladenen, langen Finale Wildkirsche, mazerierte Pflaumenhaut gepaart mit fein mürber Extraktfülle. Wie immer am Maximum vinifiziert, die Rechnung geht heuer mehr als auf!"