Château Pape Clément

The Château Pape -Clément is a well known winery in Pessac on the outskirts of Bordeaux. The winery is part of the appellation Pessac- Léognan, which includes all wineries located directly in the city of Bordeaux are as well known estates of Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut -Brion.

Pape -Clément is not classified as Premier Cru, but the wine is considered by many connoisseurs to be just as high quality. The property is older than the Haut Brion goods: it dates back to the Middle Ages and is considered the oldest continuously farmed vineyard in the entire Bordeaux region. It has 30 hectares of vineyards for wine ( 60 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 40 % Merlot ) and about 2.5 hectares for white wine (45 % Sauvignon Blanc, 45 % Sémillon, 10% Muscadelle ). 62 % of the vines is over 25 years old, many of them older than 45 years. The younger vines in the second wine, Le Château Pape -Clément Clémentin you processed. Depending on the year about 25-35 % of the crop to be marketed as a second wine.

The estate relies on the services of the winemaker Michel Rolland.

History

Château Pape -Clément was inherited centuries ago in an old Bordeaux winemaking family to the son of Bertrand de Got, who was bishop, later in Rome cardinal and was elected Pope Clement. Since 1305 the estate bears his name. Clement left the estate in consequence the diocese of Bordeaux, which made a model farm of it.

1791 all the possessions of the Church were confiscated and sold by the French Revolution. The banker Charles Peixotto bought the estate. Château Pape -Clément changed as a result often the owner and had particular Jean -Baptiste Clerc a heyday. He enlarged the estate considerably and built the Château.

After the phylloxera disaster and the new fungal diseases such as powdery mildew Real and Fake Bordeaux in 1937 was hit by severe hailstorms. A majority of the vines was destroyed. After the extremely poor vintages of 1935 and 1936, this meant the end for many wineries in the region. Château Pape -Clément was bought in 1939 by Paul Montagne. With the help of oenologist Émile Peynaud he built the winery again. Its quality efforts were rewarded in 1959 when his estate was appointed Cru Classé of Graves region. Today, Château Pape -Clément is headed by Bernard Magrez and is within the Magrez Group 's flagship.