Intense blackberry and blueberry aromas as well as mushroom undertones. Violets, too. Sweet tobacco. Full-bodied and layered with polished tannins. Very long and beautiful. Give it two or three years to show what it has but already a beauty.
- Tasted February 2017

In a vintage that can lack a little pizzazz, the 2014 Pape Clement stands out for its exuberant, sexy, full-bodied style. Checking in as a blend of 58% Merlot, 38% Cabernet Sauvignon and the balance Petit Verdot, aged in 60% new French oak, its deep purple color is followed by a layered, ripe, sexy wine that has loads of currants, blackberries, smoke tobacco, and forest floor aromas and flavors, with just a touch of chocolaty oak. Silky and incredibly pure on the palate, with impeccable balance and sweet, yet present tannin, it’s already impossible to resist, yet is going to deliver the goods for another 20-25 years. It’s a beauty!

The 2014 Pape Clément is strikingly beautiful. Dark, sumptuous and creamy, it exudes class. Black cherry, mocha, spice, espresso, menthol and new leather are all pushed forward in a spherical, rich wine that captivates all the senses. As always, this is an overt style, but the purity of the fruit comes through nicely now that the oak has started to integrate. There is plenty of the Magrez trademark richness, but done in a slightly more restrained style than in the past. This is a gorgeous wine by any measure. Tasted three times.

The 2014 Pape Clement has quite a potent bouquet with lavish red cherry, kirsch, iodine and pastille-like scents, the oak probably needing another couple of years to fully integrate. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a fine line of acidity, quite refined and focused with appreciable tension towards the finish that comes laden with succulent, tobacco-infused blackberry fruit. This is a sumptuous and yet refined Pape-Clement that demonstrated the most matière or substance out of all the Pessac-Léognan 2014s that I tasted, except for the Haut-Brion. It is certainly a wine destined for a long future. NM

The 2014 Pape-Clement has a very classy bouquet with red berry fruit, cranberry and strawberry mixed with clove, sandalwood and a hint of black olive. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, very focused and beautifully integrated with the oak. It just builds in the mouth towards a very confidence, sophisticated, tensile finish with graphite lingering on the aftertaste. Superb. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting. - vinous.com, March 2018

Cigar box, tobacco, smoke, licorice and blackberry aromatics open up the full bodied, fleshy wine. The fruit is fresh, ripe and rich, the tannins are refined and the texture is quite silky. A decade of time is warranted before pulling a cork here. Tasted Nov 2017

Quality 894 | Brand 951 | Economics 963 | buzz brand
Quality: Predicted life of 18 years, one of the longest drinking windows in its peer group for the 2014 vintage, which averages 11 years Brand: We found this wine on 17 of the world's top restaurant wine lists, including Pollen Street Social Economics: Above its peer group average price of £46 for the 2014 vintage Production: Higher production than its peer group average of 92,455 bottles

- www.wine-lister.com June 2017