Pape Clément Pessac-Léognan 2020

98 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2020 Pape Clément is outrageously beautiful. Dark, virile and imposing, the 2020 is a rare vintage of Pape Clément that is vertical and statuesque in feel. Dark fruit, chocolate, new leather, licorice and cloves infuse the palate with tremendous depth. In a word: magnificent. Drink: 2030-2050. (Feb 2023)"

98 points James Suckling: "Lots of blackberry, iodine and crushed stone here. Some black pepper and graphite, too. Full body and medium, fine tannins that have a powdery texture and open in the mouth. So much going on. Iodine and iron undertones with some raw mushroom bring you back for more. Muscular. This is for the cellar. Drink after 2027. (12/28/22)"

97+ points Jeb Dunnuck: "I loved the 2020 Château Pape Clément, and this beauty is up there with the top wines in Pessac. Checking in as equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, aged 18 months in 90% barrels and 10% in foudre, it offers a deep purple hue to go with a powerful, concentrated profile displaying both red and black fruits, lots of spicy, chocolate, flowery incense nuances, full-bodied richness, and an almost salty, bloody character on the finish. This beauty shows the concentrated yet utterly classic, focused, elegant style of the vintage and has so much to love. It's going to be even better with 4-6 years of bottle age and will see its 30th birthday in fine form. Drink: 2027-2057. (3/29/23)"

97 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "With a deep hue that is close to opaque, the wine exudes smoke, roasted espresso, cigar wrappers, blackberries, black cherries, licorice and chocolate. There is fabulous depth, purity, length and complexity here. The richly-textured finish is fleshy, powerful, intense and polished, with an endnote that keeps on going long after the wine has left the glass. This is the finest vintage of Pape Clement in years. Drink from 2026-2055. (3/21/23)"

94-96 points Wine Enthusiast: "This ancient estate, an oasis in the suburbs of Bordeaux city, offers a wine that is packed with promising tannins. The important and rich black fruits reveal concentration, density and the potential of the development of a fine balance and structure as it matures."

95 points Wine Spectator: "[$98 list] This is snazzed up with flashy toast, but there's ample mulberry, cassis and plum compote fruit to soak it up, while notes of licorice and sweet spice fill in the background. A late tug of warm earth keeps this grounded. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2028 through 2038. (11/30/22)"

95 points Neal Martin (Vinous): "The 2020 Pape Clément Rouge has an incredibly intense bouquet with multi-layered blackberry and bilberry fruit, cedar and black olive compote aromas. Hints of vanilla pod and black truffle emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with firm and quite assertive tannins that frame a huge weight of fruit (more than Domaine de Chevalier or Malartic-Lagravière tasted alongside). It's not a subtle Pessac-Léognan for sure, but there is adequate freshness and a sense of mineralité and tension on the finish. It will require at least a decade in bottle but long-term, this will be magnificent. Drink: 2030-2065. (Feb 2023)"

95 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "(50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Merlot). Muscular tannins that have grip and staying power, exuberant while staying on the right side of the line, giving punch and definition without drowning the fruit. Cassis, liqourice, slate, crayon, crushed rocks, very much on style for Pape Clement and an excellent wine with staying power. Harvest started September 10. Heavy bottle. 60% new oak. Alcohol 14%. Drink: 2027-2048. (1/5/23)"

95 points Georgina Hindle (Decanter): "Tannic heft from the get-go, though this does have a lovely fresh, clean and precise core with a narrow, focused frame so the elements come across as quite tight and severe right now but well worked. It has class, no doubt, on the high-toned scale, potent and upfront but there's gorgeous detail and precision to the fruit, acidity and tannins. Slick and classy with lots of glamour that plays to the strengths of the vintage. Drinking Window: 2027-2048. (1/2/23)"

95 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "The nose of the 2020 Pape-Clément, the blend of which is led by Merlot, is dominated by the fragrance of oak, all white chalk and sandalwood, with hints of white flowers behind, draped over layers of currant and dried damson. The palate is fresh, cool yet quite dense, showing some rather drying structure through the middle, the oak tannins here surely contributing, giving it a powerful grip, the tannins dominating the fruit. This is going to need a long time to come together, as the power of this tannic grip is not to be underestimated, although it certainly has cellaring potential. An impressive young wine, brooding with oak and rich fruit, perhaps with more oak impact than I was expecting (this seems to have been on the wane at Pape-Clément in recent years, although the 2020s seem to have different ideas), but ten or fifteen years in the cellar should sort this out. Tasted twice, in London and Bordeaux. The alcohol is 14%. (Dec 2022)"

95 points Rod Smith (TimAtkin.com) (May 2021).

94+ points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Wine Advocate): "Aromas of rich cherries, cassis, burning embers, violets and dark chocolate introduce the 2020 Pape Clément, a medium to full-bodied, rich and fleshy wine that's ripe, layered and generously extracted but also a touch deeper and more reserved than the flashy 2019. While it would be an exaggeration to say that this estate's red wines are making much of a shift in the direction of restraint, the style is certainly less aspirational than it was a decade ago. Drink: 2025-2050. (4/6/23)"