Château Pape Clément #132

France
In 2003, the new barrel cellar opened its doors, followed in 2007 by the renovation of the cellar with its prestigious oak vats. Bernard Magrez made every effort to allow the exceptional terroir of Château Pape Clément to stand the test of time and express the finesse that had made the reputation of its wines.Nominations 2023-2024/
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Innovations in Wine Industry

Drones, cows, and a pope: the unlikely trio encapsulates the unique blend of tradition and innovation at Bordeaux’s esteemed Château Pape Clément. With roots dating back to 1252, this iconic château in the Graves region of Pessac embraces both a rich historical legacy and cutting-edge practices in winemaking. Spanning 32.5 hectares in Pessac, the Château Pape Clément estate embraces the belief that “wines are made in the vineyard.” Through the use of drones hovering above the vines, the estate engages in meticulous monitoring, collecting rich data that allows for the subdivision of the vineyard into minute sections or microparcels. This data-driven approach enables the estate to make precise decisions during harvest, selectively picking vines based on their health and growth characteristics. Mr. Magrez is the sole pioneer in implementing this technological leap in vineyard management. While drones represent the future, the use of cows is undeniably rooted in the past. Tractors are currently standard for vineyard plowing, and there’s ongoing investment in developing autonomous tractors capable of effortlessly navigating vineyard rows, smoothly executing turns to select the next row. Château Pape Clément has been at the forefront of innovative practices within the wine industry, continually pushing boundaries and setting new standards.

Innovations in Wine Industry
Innovations in Wine Industry
Innovations in Wine Industry

Sustainable Viticulture

Pape Clément employs organic mowing practices, utilizing 30 local sheep to graze the vineyards during winter. Since 2012, the estate has been committed to sustainable viticulture, joining an environmental management plan for Bordeaux’s wine industry and achieving the High Environmental Value certification. Equipped with its own radar system to detect potential storms, Pape Clément releases a helium balloon, carrying hygroscopic salts to prevent hail formation in clouds up to 30km away.

The Wine Portfolio

The 60-hectare vineyards predominantly produce reds, with over 90% of the output divided evenly between Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, complemented by a touch of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot constituting the remaining 5%.

CHÂTEAU PAPE CLÉMENT ROUGE Grand Cru Classé de Graves

WINEMAKING
  • First sorting in the vineyard, manual harvest in crates
  • Manual destemming berry by berry and use of a sorting table
  • Transfer into 30-70 hl wooden vats by gravity flow
  • Low temperature pre-fermentation maceration
  • Manual punching down
  • 30-40 day maceration
  • The wine is run off into French oak barrels by gravity flow
  • Malolactic fermentation in oak barrels
  • Aging for 18 months in oak barrels
BLEND

56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc.

CHÂTEAU PAPE CLÉMENT BLANC Grand Vin de Graves

WINEMAKING
  • Manual filling into the pneumatic press
  • Pressing of the whole berries with slow pressure without crumbling, under inert atmosphere to protect the aromas
  • Run off of the juice into oak barrels by gravity flow
  • Settling and fermentation in French oak barrels
  • Aging on the lees, stirring of the lees
  • 15% of the wine is aged in a state-of-the-art egg-shaped concrete tank
  • Aging for 16 months in oak barrels
BLEND

50% Sauvignon blanc, 40% Sémillon, 10% Sauvignon gris.

CLÉMENTIN ROUGE Grand Vin de Graves

WINEMAKING
  • First sorting in the vineyard
  • Use of a sorting vibrating table
  • Transfer into 25-90 hl vats by gravity flow
  • Low temperature pre-fermentation maceration (8°C )
  • Manual punching down
  • 30-35 days maceration
  • The wine is run off into French oak barrels by gravity flow.
  • Malolactic fermentation in barrels
  • Aging for 16 months in barrels
BLEND

70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon

CLÉMENTIN BLANC Grand Vin de Graves

WINEMAKING
  • Manual filling into pneumatic pressing
  • Pressing of the entire berries with slow pressure under inert atmosphere
  • Running off into oak barrels by gravity flow
  • Settling and alcoholic fermentation in French oak barrels
  • Aging on fine lees, stirring out of the lees
  • Aging for 15 months in 55% new oak barrels, 35% one year-old wine and 10% egg-shaped concrete tanks
BLEND

75 % Sauvignon blanc, 20 % Sémillon, 5% Muscadelle.