France · Bordeaux

Chateau Pape Clement

Chateau Pape Clement is one of Bordeaux's oldest estates, its origins dating to 1300 when the property was gifted to Bertrand de Goth, the future Pope Clement V. Located in Pessac-Leognan within the Graves appellation, the estate gained Grand Cru Classe status in the 1959 Graves classification. The modern era began in 1985 when Leo Montagne acquired the estate and installed Bordeaux's most flamboyant cellar master, Bernard Magrez, who transformed both the red and — crucially — the white wine program. The Blanc, a Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc blend from old vines on gravelly clay soils, has become the estate's auction standout, averaging $204 per bottle across 128 auction lots and reaching $1,434 at the top. The 2009 vintage emerges as the most traded, driven by near-perfect conditions in Pessac-Leognan that year. Auction prices span a wide range ($24–$1,434) reflecting the diversity of formats and vintages offered, from single bottles of recent releases to magnums of the Blanc from prime years. Le Clementin, the second wine, averages $58 per bottle. Pape Clement's auction appeal rests on its Blanc, which competes with classified Pessac whites and demonstrates the terroir's capacity for age-worthy, structured white Bordeaux. The estate's transition from a historically underperforming Grand Cru Classe to a reference-level white Bordeaux producer under the Magrez-Montagne partnership remains one of the appellation's most notable modern rehabilitation stories, underpinning its sustained auction presence.