Community Tasting Note

PSPatrick wrote:

Monday, May 6, 2013 - „One Wine - Three Vintages“-Blind Tasting. Flight 7: Château Pape Clément. We tasted 1989, 1996 and 2002. One of my two favourite flights of the night (together with the impressive flight of Joseph Phelps Insignia) and the only flight I was unable to refrain from drinking. The three wines shared a sooty and smoky nose. The medium-bodied 1989 was my favourite wine of the flight and probably also of the night. It offered a smoky and “green” palate (in a positive sense), with bacon fat, bell pepper and ultra-fine tannin. The wine was impeccably balanced and silky and drank younger than the 1996. A truly great Bordeaux. I liked it a lot! The solid 1996 offered sweet fruit and bell pepper on the palate, with fully integrated tannin, good balance and a slightly bitter finish. It drank well, but will probably be less long-lived than the 1989. The decent 2002 was medium-bodied, chocolaty and very balanced. To me overall the weakest wine of the strong flight and the question if the change of ownership did do the Château well crossed my mind. Overall an impressive flight of Château Pape Clément. I would drink the 1989 and the 1996 now (and even buy a case of the 1989 if I could find one), and cellar the 2002 for another two to three years.

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