Chateau Pape Clement, Cru Classe, Pessac Leognan 2009

"The red wine flight was a colossal showing for the 2009s, with perfect wines from Cos d'Estournel, La Mission Haut-Brion, Smith Haut Lafitte, Pape Clément and Haut-Brion. These amazing wines are not only showing their individual, singular terroir characteristics at age six, but the luxurious, extravagant richness and body of this vintage. As I have written and said publically many times, 2009 is the modern-day version of 1982, except much more consistent, as many more properties ratcheted up the level of quality by making stricter selections not only in the vineyard, but also in the winery as well. The tour de force, and a sleeper of the vintage that I mentioned early on, was the 2009 Cos d'Estournel, a monumental wine that may well go down in history as this vintage's 1947 Cheval Blanc. Also remarkable was the 2009 Smith Haut Lafitte. One expects the Mission Haut-Brion, Haut-Brion and Pape Clément to hit the highest points in a vintage like this - and they did." - Robert Parker

"The 2009 Pape Clement struts flamboyantly out of the glass, featuring beautifully opulent preserved black fruits, Morello cherries and Chinese five spice with underlying notions of truffles, iron ore and tobacco plus a waft of sandalwood. Full-bodied, the voluptuous fruit has a firm foundation of super ripe, grainy tannins and bags of freshness supporting layer upon layer of black fruit, exotic spices and earth-laced flavors, finishing very long." - Wine Advocate