Pape Clément Blanc 2020

One of the whites of the vintage, the 2020 Château Pape Clément Blanc is based on 62% Sauvignon Blanc, 33% Semillon, 4% Sauvignon Gris, and the remaining 1% Muscadelle, all of which was raised in a mix of new and used oak. This beauty stopped me in my tracks and offers a massive nose of honeyed limes, white flowers, tropical fruit, crushed stone, and orange marmalade. With the vintage’s vibrant sense of freshness, full-bodied richness, a stacked mid-palate, and a fabulous mouthfeel, this truly sensational white is an incredible achievement, and hats off to the team at Pape Clement! Give bottles 2-3 years and enjoy over the following two decades or so.

I like the richness and focus to this with sliced cooked apple, lemon and light toffee character. Candied pineapple. Hints of meringue. Full-bodied and layered. Really delicious and flavorful now with a solid balance of phenolic structure. Classy. Agile. Drink after 2025 but hard to stay away.

Offering up notes of crisp nectarine, lemongrass and white flowers, the 2020 Pape Clément Blanc is medium to full-bodied, satiny and seamless, with bright acids, attractive purity of fruit and a long, aromatic finish. This is the most elegant white wine produced by this estate over the last decade, and it has turned out well in bottle. 2022 - 2035

The 2020 Pape Clement Blanc rolls effortlessly out of the glass with impactful scents of honey drizzled peaches, fresh Bosc pears, and green guava, leading to touches of cedar and chalk dust. The medium-bodied palate is decadently satiny with bags of stone and tropical fruit layers, finishing with a refreshing lift.

A delicious Pape Clément blanc, this has flesh, power, depth, character and a ton of juicy minerality with white pear, peach, and a slate-filled texture that adds grip and saline freshness. Well balanced and easy to recommend. Tasted three times.

Drinking Window 2022 - 2032

Full clear-glass bottle (carefully wrapped in silver foil) 1,305 g. Cask sample taken 6 April – two weeks ago! The handwritten label asks me to taste it before 16 April. Oh dear … too many reds to taste!
Good lemon lift on the nose here. Really lively with some spritz and a kiss of oak rather than being dominated by it. This is clever winemaking with a mineral element. Really lively. I may be tasting this four days too late but it's still awfully impressive! Just the right balance of ripe fruit and fresh acidity. Sprightly even. Tension and a floral element. Great stuff! 13.5%
Drink 2022 – 2029

The 2020 is 67% Sauvignon Blanc and just 30% Sémillon, with 3% Sauvignon Gris to make up the blend. Vinification takes place in a mix of 30% new oak, together with used oak barrels, steel and cement. pH is low at 3.2, with an abv of 14%. Fleshy pears, vanilla and fresh pastries on the nose here. The palate is glossy and rounded, plump with juicy stone fruits and baking spices. There is enough vibrant acidity and pithy texture to cut through this flesh and leave some real tension. The oak is toasty and sweet for now, but this shows good promise.

(67% SB, 30% SM, 3% SG)
Pale gold; rich, supple wine, moderate in acidity; dry, broad, quite mouthfilling, but lacking real vitality; plenty of matter, moderate length across the palate, and modest in scope and definition for its status. Good light length to finish. Good wine, of course, but not a top PC Blanc. 2024–30+.