2021 Pape Clément, Pessac-Léognan

Pape made a very finely crafted and elegant wine this vintage, with plenty of berry, spice and earth character. Hazelnuts, too. Medium-bodied, savory and lightly spicy on the finish. Creamy tannins. Really fine, with lovely length.

Concentrated and intense nose with subtle violet and perfume flecks. Quite chewy and grippy on the palate, this has more of a chunky frame than many others with mouthwatering acidity, plush tannins and a good dose of strawberry, blackcurrant and black cherry fruit edged by eucalyptus and liquorice. You get the liveliness but also the density and the gentle power and I love the minerality at the end, a touch of salinity as well as cedar, clove, bitter dark chocolate and slate. You've got a lot going on with this wine and it's one of the more confident wines from the Bernard Magrez stable in the vintage. This could be very excellent. 1% Petit Verdot completes the blend. (GH)