Arguably the dry white wine of the vintage along with Laville, this is an extraordinary wine with the texture of a grand cru white Burgundy, the so-called gout de petrol that one finds in Coche-Dury Meursault-Perrieres, or one of the top Montrachets from the likes of Domaine Leflaive or Romanee-Conti. Honeyed orange, sweet melons, subtle smoke, stunning concentration, and a full-bodied mouthfeel make for an extraordinary expression of white Graves that should age beautifully for 15-20 years. The final blend from the tiny 7.5-acre parcel of this historic vineyard was 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon, 5% each of Sauvignon Gris and Muscadelle. - Robert Parker

The 2006 Château Pape Clément Blanc is one of the stars of the white wine vintage in the Graves, as the wine offers up a gorgeous and beautifully balanced nose of figs, lime zest, freshly-cut grass, incipient notes of petrol, beautiful chalky soil tones, beeswax and vanillin oak. This wine was aged in one hundred percent new oak, but shows no signs of over-oaking, as the wood is beautifully integrated into the body of the wine. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, crisp and racy, with lovely mid-palate depth, impressive complexity and great length and grip on the poised and classy finish. As superb as this wine is, I would love to see it with half as much new oak, as I think the combination would allow an even more profound expression of its underlying terroir. But this is a very high class example of the vintage. (Drink between 2012-2030)

Tasted blind at Southwold ’06 Bordeaux tasting. Fresh and vibrant on the alcoholic nose, with notes of pineapple, dried mango, lemon curd and a touch of almond. Good definition and much greater sense of purpose than its peers. The palate is medium-bodied, good acidity with vibrant ripe citrus fruits, good depth, still backward but with good length and definition. Excellent.