Château Pape Clément

The well-known winery Château Pape Clément is located on the outskirts of the French city of Bordeaux in the suburb of Pessac. Like the famous wineries Château La Mission Haut-Brion and Château Haut-Brion in Bordeaux, it belongs to the Pessac-Léognan appellation.
In the Bordeaux region, it is considered to be the oldest, constantly cultivated estate, which dates back to the Middle Ages.
The cultivation area covers almost 33 hectares of vineyards, of which 30 hectares are intended for red wine production and over 2.5 hectares for white wine production. The vines are composed of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. Of white wine varieties, vines are planted for Sémillon, Muscadelle and Sauvignon Blanc.
Some wine connoisseurs affirm that the wines from the house of Château Pape Clément are almost equal to the wines classified as Premier Cru.

History - the papal past

The estate was named after Bertrand de Goth, the son of a family of winemakers from Bordeaux, who inherited the estate in 1300. This cardinal of Rome was elected Pope Clement V six years later and gave his name to the estate. His papal residence was in Avignon and the wine he made there became famous as Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
He later gave the property to the Diocese of Bordeaux, which allowed it to thrive as a first-class winery until the French Revolution.
In 1791 the church lost the winery and, after several owners, it fell into the hands of Baptiste Clerc, who built the château.
Weak vintages in 1935/1936 and a hailstorm in the following year ruined the existence of numerous wineries.
Subsequently, Pape Clément was in the possession of his heirs as a bequest from the French poet Paul Montagne, who acquired it in 1939.
When the Graves region was promoted to Cru Classé in 1959, this underlined the quality of the wines and rewarded the commitment to viticulture.

Bernard Magrez - winemaker with passion

Bernard Magrez is the sole owner of Château Pape Clément and three other top-tier wineries in France: Château Fombrauge, Château La Tour Carnet and Clos Haut-Peyraguey.
Born in 1936 and shaped by a strict upbringing and the unrest of the war, he left school at the age of 16 and devoted himself to wines. The ambitious and disciplined person who loves challenges now owns 43 estates with 1000 hectares of vineyards in eight different countries.
To this day, the winemaker invests time and money in viticulture and the constant qualitative improvement of the legendary wines.

Exclusive wines as a treat or a safe investment

Together with the team of experts from Bernard Pujol and the oenologist Michael Rolland, owner Magrez produces fine wines from impressive and dense vines that are on average 30 years old. Each step is carefully planned and executed from the precise pre-selection of the grapes, particularly gentle processing to the traditional harvest by hand. Cultivation areas with gravelly and iron-rich subsoils, as well as clay and limestone soils bring about the classic mineral flavor elements and the powerful aroma characteristic of Graves, while the quality of the fruit completes the taste. The aging in barrique barrels over a period of 18 to 20 months gives the typical oak wood note.

The red wines and the extremely rare white wines, which are often only available by subscription, rank at the top of the qualitative hierarchy of wines.
Such high-quality wines are an ideal capital investment and worthwhile for long-term investments. Take your chance and find a special place for this piece of French culture in your wine collection.