2022, Château Pape Clement Blanc, Grands Crus Classés de Graves

Bordeaux Blend: Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris, Muscadelle

The rare dry white wine of Château Pape Clément is made from around 50:50 Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc with a touch of Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle.

Made from an 18 hectare plot. The purity of fruit is really impressive here with crushed apples, pears and lemons. Some mineral and stone, too. Honeysuckle. Very clear and bright. The palate is full and very direct and focused, with a long, salty dried lemon finish and minerality. Fine phenolics at the end. 98-99 James Suckling.

Citrus kick straight away, great direction and focus - there's purity to the lemon, peach, green apple, pear and apricot fruit. Sharp and straight but stylish. Fruity and juicy, precise and detailed, a touch tense still but there's excellent sculpting here and lots of life. Quite bold, some toasted nuances putting the wood at the fore and narrowing some of the expression but there's so much to like with a long, spiced finish. 93 Georgina Hindle, Decanter.

The 2022 Pape Clément Blanc is very fragrant on the nose, with lemon verbena, white peach and honeysuckle scents. Really fine definition and sense of focus. The palate is well balanced, a little steelier and more linear than recent vintages with plenty of tension on the saline finish. This should age well in bottle. 92-94 Neal Martin, Vinous.

If you had to pick one wine that would not be afraid of the excess of the vintage, it would be Pape Clement, and certainly here they have leaned into it without being overpowered. Plenty of citrus, lemon curd, white peach and sage. Structured also, with great balance within the estate signature, helped by an attractive bitter edge on the finish. 93 Jane Anson.

Drinking Window: 2025 - 2032