Château Pape Clément

Château Pape Clement is a well-known winery on the outskirts of Bordeaux. It is probably the oldest continuously farmed winery in the area of the city.

The wine of the Pope - Château Pape Clément

The first harvest at the estate can be traced back to 1252. At that time the estate was called Domaine de la Mothe. in 1299 it was acquired by Gaillard de Goth. Gaillard the brother of Bertrand de Goth, who was to be elected Pope in 1305 and took the name of Clement V.

In 1306, a few days before his death, Gaillard left the estate to his brother. The Pope was very interested in viticulture and lived on the estate for a considerable time. However, his duties in the Curia bound him so much that he left Château Pape Clément to the Archdiocese of Bordeaux. The latter owned the estate until the French Revolution, during which it was expropriated.

The way in the modern age

After that, Château Pape Cl ément passed through the hands of Jean-Baptiste Clerc, who built the current neo-Gothic style château in 1864. Paul Montagne, who acquired the estate in 1939, completely renewed the vineyards, which had been destroyed in a hailstorm in 1937. His work was recognized with the classification of the estate as Grand Cru Classé of the Graves.

Since the 80s, Bernard Magrez has been in charge at Château Pape Clément. He carried out fundamental renewals and renovations in the estate, so a new cellar was built, the old barrel cellar was fundamentally revised, the vinification of individual parcels in separate barrels was introduced. In 2009, this commitment was rewarded by the award of the white wine of Pape Clément with the full score of 100 points by Robert Parker. The following year, the château's reds were able to snag this dream score.

Terroir and cellar of the Château Pape Clément

The area around the commune of Pessac is strongly characterized by gravel soils, which were washed up by the Garonne river one and a half million years ago. The work in the vineyards of Château Pape Clément takes place exclusively by hand, the vineyards are monitored by drone. The following grape varieties are grown today:

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Cabernet Franc
• Petit Verdot
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Sauvignon Gris
• Sémillon
• Muscadelle

In the cellar, 28 large wooden barrels are already in place to allow fermentation. The aging of the main wine takes place in typical Bordeaux tradition 18 months in wooden barrels, with 70% new wood.