I recently posted my article on the Avignon Popes and Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Wine Studies Group and received feedback from member Jean-Yves Maldague that the Bordeaux estate Château Pape Clément was previously owned by the Clement V, the first of the aforementioned Popes. I followed up on this and he is 100% correct. I flesh out the details below.
The first harvest at Château Pape Clément (then named Domaine de la Mothe) occurred in 1252. Nothing else is reported as regards the estate until its purchase in 1299 by Gaillard de Goth, brother of the recently appointed Archbishop of Bordeaux, Bertrand de Goth. Gaillard bought the property at the urging of his brother who could not, due to his position, do so. Bernard liked grapegrowing, however, and was integrally involved in the estate's operation post the transaction.
With the support of King Philip IV of France, Bertrand was elected Pope in 1305 and took the name Pope Clement V. Gaillard died in 1306 but bequeathed the estate to his brother prior to passing. The estate was subsequently renamed Château Pape Clément.
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| Pope Clement V, owner of Château Pape Clément between 1306 and 1309 |
The pope managed the estate until the press of pontifical responsibilities drove him to donate it to the Archdiocese of Bordeaux in 1309. The estate remained under the control of the Archdiocese until it was confiscated during the French Revolution and sold at auction in 1791.
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