Chateau Pape Clement Pessac-Leognan (750ml)

This Pessac-Leognan is a Grand Cru Classe de Graves from the historic Chateau Pape Clement. Bernard Magrez owns the estate, and its name honors Pope Clement V, who planted these vines in 1306. The kosher cuvee is a tiny production, fermented separately. It is Bordeaux royalty, properly hashgacha'd.

Mood: Graphite, smoke, ceremony.

Tasting notes

The nose is powerful, with ripe blackcurrant, plum, dark cherry, tilled earth, and espresso, plus a thread of sweet tobacco. On the palate it is muscular and opulent, giving cassis, violets, vanilla, and toast inside a frame of fine-grained, gripping tannin. A long, mineral finish leaves cocoa and graphite that linger well after the last sip.

Food pairing

Pour it with a crown roast on Yom Tov, a dry-aged steak at a milestone simcha, or a slow-braised brisket that is worthy of the bottle. Give it a full hour in the decanter before you serve.

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