2009 Château Pape Clément Blanc

Another killer white from this estate, the 2009 Château Pape Clément Blanc checks in as 40% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Semillon, 16% Sauvignon Gris, and the balance Muscadelle. Its healthy, vivid gold hue is followed by a remarkable wine offering a smorgasbord-like array of honeyed peach, caramelized pineapple, orange blossom, spice, white flowers, marzipan, and toasted bread. Rich, full-bodied, and uber-concentrated, it nevertheless stays light and graceful, with a beautiful sense of freshness and purity, flawless balance, and a dry, blockbuster-styled finish. This is magical stuff, and Bordeaux Blanc doesn't get any better.

The 2009 Pape Clement Blanc is an absolutely remarkable wine, which is not a surprise given what this historic estate has done in both white and red over the last 20 years. Their white wine, an intriguing blend of 40% Sauvignon Blanc, 35% Semillon, 16% Sauvignon Gris and the rest Muscadelle, comes from 7.5 acres of pure gravelly soil. An exquisite nose of honeysuckle, tropical fruit, pineapple, green apples, and orange and apricot marmalade soar from the glass. Great acidity, a full-bodied mouthfeel and a texture more akin to great grand cru white Burgundy put this wine in a class by itself. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were others who also think this is pure perfection in white Bordeaux. I tasted this wine four separate times and gave it a perfect score three of the four times. It is one of most exquisite dry white I have ever tasted from anywhere – period. Certainly the founder of Pape Clement, Bertrand de Goth, would be happy with his decision to plant a vineyard here in 1305. Pure genius!