As for the second wine, which was harvested between September 29 and October 20 (much like the grand vin), the 2010 Le Clementin du Pape Clement is probably the best second wine I have ever tasted from Pape Clement. It certainly shouldn’t be thought of as a lesser selection, considering its high quality. Dense ruby/purple, with notes of smoked herbs, blue and black fruits, creosote and camphor, the wine is better than most Pape Clements in the 1970s and 1980s. Yields were 33 hectoliters per hectare, which is virtually nothing given the fact that this is a second wine, not a grand vin. There are 70,000 bottles of this wine produced versus 96,000 bottles of Chateau Pape Clement. Drink it over the next 10-15 years. Kudos to proprietor Bernard Magrez, who has built an empire based on high quality more than any other characteristic.

Big smoky wine, seductively fleshy with a good firm finish.