Bordeaux fine wine is all about name dropping. Whether you are a superstar winemaker, a prestigious owner, or a famous consultant, it is as much who you know as what you know. However, few estates can top Pape Clement when it comes to illustrious past owners; yes that’s right, it’s named after the Pope Clement V, Pontiff from 1305 – 1314.

Château Pape Clément is underscored by seven centuries of history, so it is no understatement to say that it is as much a part of the landscape as the trees. Every Pope from Clement V onwards used the Château as a summer residence (Avignon being, of course, a Catholic stronghold for France). The Catholic Church lost the estate at the end of the 18th century; which turned out to be the dawning of a new era for Pape Clement. The estate was purchased by Paul Montagne in 1939, who set about renovating the domaine to its glorious past.

Today the estate is the crowning jewel of the Bernard Magrez portfolio (he also owns Château La Tour Carnet in Haut Medoc, Château Fombrauge in St Emilion and Clos Haut Peyraguey, an 1855 Grand Crus classé in Sauternes). Magrez has done much to perpetuate Pape Clement’s heritage. Upon purchase of the estate in 1980, he reverted to hand ploughing and hand destemming, one of the first Bordeaux fine wine estates to do so and long before the biodynamic revolution. He also teamed this innovation with state-of-the-art winemaking technique, making Pape Clement one of the most respected Bordeaux fine wines there is today.

The Pyrenean clay gravel terroir is planted to 49 % Merlot, 46 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 3 % Cabernet Franc and 2 % Petit Verdot for its reds, and 45 % Sauvignon, 45 % Sémillon, 5 % Muscadelle and 5 % Sauvignon Gris for its whites. The red wine is aged for 18 months prior to bottling, the white between 12-24 months. Both colours are aged in 70% new oak barrels. Production is steady at 110,000 bottles annually for red and 10,000 bottles for white.

However, Pape Clement’s geographical position can be a double-edged sword. While it is undoubtedly one of the finest terroirs in Bordeaux, the April frost of 2017 meant that production was reduced by 60%. This resulted in very low yields for the red of that year. What was saved however was excellent; an average of 91 on aggregate scores (94 from Wine Enthusiast). Stellar years include 2015 (which showed a 30% hike in secondary market price between mid-2017 and mid-2019), 2010 and 2016.