2009 Ch. Pape Clement, Pessac Léognan

With a lifted note of raspberries on the nose, Ch. Pape Clement’s red 2009 is dense, smooth and ripe. With toasty, spicy notes of new oak, this is a full, rich wine which will need some time to reveal its hidden secrets.

Black red, excellent extraction of beautifully concentrated ripe blackcurrant fruit, great suppleness on attack and a beautiful fragrance, great polish, class and depth.
(Steven Spurrier - Decanter - Apr 2010)

Pretty dark crimson. Hint of toastiness. Bone dry. Succulent. Real clarity and purity. Everything in the right place – dry but not drying finish. Wonderful balance. A real contrast to the white...!
(Jancis Robinson MW, jancisrobinson.com - Apr 2010)

A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 5% Cabernet Franc, the 2009 Pape Clement is not as dense or provocative as the 2005, but it is a worthy competitor. Tighter and more muscular than the 2005, the 2009 reveals an opaque purple color along with notes of graphite, blueberries, and blackberries, stunning richness, a full-bodied mouthfeel, and tremendous length and intensity. Some patience will be required, and I do not believe this effort will achieve the near perfection of the 2005, but it is another winner in this extraordinary vintage. Yields were 43 hectoliters per hectare, and the wine finished around 13.5% alcohol. (Tasted four times.)

Historically one of the oldest vineyards in Bordeaux (having once been owned by Pope Clement, who gets more credit for what he did in Chateauneuf du Pape than in Graves), this 700-year old Pessac vineyard has turned out another profound wine under the administration of proprietor Bernard Magrez.
(Robert Parker - Wine Advocate - April 2010)

There's lovely density and beauty to this young wine, with tobacco, light vanilla, chocolate and ripe fruit. Full and polished, with velvety tannins. Long and reserved, but very, very serious.
(James Suckling - Wine Spectator - Apr 2010)