Ch.Pape Clement Blanc 2007 750ml

Wine Journal #1111 by Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the 2007 Bordeaux horizontal in Southwold. There is a lot of SO2 on the nose that takes a lot of aeration to get rid of, but it is worth the effort as it develops some attractive dried flower, pear and jasmine aromas with fine definition. The palate is well defined with very good weight, harmonious and fresh with white peach, honeydew melon and a hint of lemongrass towards the long finish. Very fine.

Château Pape Clément is a Cru Classé Graves property that has one of the oldest documented histories of any Bordeaux vineyard, having been planted in 1300 by Bernard de Groth, the future Pope Clément V. In 1939 the estate was bought by the Montagne family and is now owned and run by Léo Montagne.
Pape Clément is located in the Bordeaux suburb of Pessac and consists of a chai and 32 hectares of vineyards, planted with Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Merlot (40%) and small amounts of Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle.
The quality of the wines at Pape Clément slipped in the 1960s and 70s, largely because of under-investment. Bernard Magrez was appointed as general manager in 1985 and he turned Pape Clément's fortunes around. He introduced more rigorous selection in the vineyards, as well as installing stainless steel vats and raising the percentage of new oak casks used in the maturation process.
Pape Clément now produces one of the finest clarets in Pessac-Léognan.