Le Clémentin de Pape Clément Pessac-Léognan AOC 2012/2013

TAST­ING NOTES FROM THE CURATOR

A blend­ing of the best Bor­deaux-region vari­eties — pre­dom­i­nant­ly Mer­lot mixed with Caber­net Sauvi­gnon, Petit Ver­dot, and Caber­net Franc — the Pape Clement has a red-vio­let gem­stone col­or, and the deeply earthy scent of truf­fles, tilled soil, under­brush, and smoked meats laid over a core of cas­sis, baked plums, red­cur­rants, and a touch of laven­der. It is a medi­um- to full-bod­ied wine full of den­si­ty and finesse, with a firm foun­da­tion of black fruit and earthy under­tones and a long, min­er­al-laced finish.

PAIR­INGS

The Bor­deaux region boasts of com­plex wines, and the best way to pair them depends on which part of the region they come from and which grape is dom­i­nant. Though Pes­sac-Léog­nan is a Left Bank sub­re­gion, the Mer­lot-heavy blend of Le Clé­mentin lends itself best to Right Bank pair­ings such as smoky bar­be­cued and grilled meats and hearty spiced dish­es like a tra­di­tion­al Shepherd’s pie. It also brings out the best in Asian dish­es, per­fect­ly pair­ing with sweet chili sauces, gar­lic, and vine­gary fla­vors. With a cheese and char­cu­terie plat­ter, this is a wine to part­ner with sharp, semi-hard or hard cheeses like Manchego and Comté, as well as the spici­er saucis­son blends.

ONCE A FOR­MER PAPAL ESTATE

The win­ery of Château Pape Clé­ment by Bernard Magrez takes its name from Bertrand de Goth — Pope Clé­ment V — who was one of the ear­ly papal own­ers of the estate. The neo-Goth­ic build­ings were built in the 13^th cen­tu­ry and the estate was then already home to 60 hectares of vine­yards and sprawl­ing gar­dens of thou­sand-year-old olive trees and Lebanese cedars. When Bernard Magrez bought the vine­yard in 1986, he built and updat­ed wine­mak­ing facil­i­ties and added the Le Clé­mentin wine to the ros­ter. The estate fea­tures wine tours and tast­ings and has 5 ele­gant suites avail­able for guests to book vaca­tions and roman­tic get­aways all year round.

Storage Instructions

Store unopened red wines in a cool, dry, and dark place safe from con­stant vibra­tion. Keep your bot­tle hor­i­zon­tal in a wine rack or cel­lar to retain the moist­ness of the cork. The ide­al tem­per­a­ture for stor­age is between 16 to 18°C. Once opened, a bot­tle will be good for 3 to 5 days stand­ing upright in the refrigerator.

2 Pairings

Pancetta 250g PHP518.00

Dehesa de Los Llanos Artisanal Gran Reserva Manchego DO Approx. 180g PHP1,053.00