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.

Score: 96 James Suckling (JS), JamesSuckling.com, December 2019

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.

Score: 96 Antonio Galloni (AG), Vinous Media (VM), March 2020

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.

Score: 94+ Lisa Perrotti-Brown (LPB), The Wine Advocate (WA), March 2020

The 2017 Pape-Clément was tasted twice, firstly in September when it showed a lot of new oak. Returning in December 2019, I was pleased that some of that new wood has been subsumed into the blackberry, cedar and tobacco scents, rendering it quite classic in style relative to the nascent 2018. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, well judged acidity, and gentle grip with a poised finish. This is clearly improving in bottle and is turning into a very fine Pessac-Léognan that will give 20 years of drinking pleasure. Excellent.

Score: 94 Neal Martin (NM), Vinous Media (VM), February 2020