In the Middle Ages, Pope Clément V reformed the Catholic Church’s practice of granting indulgences, in which some priests may have implied that sins could be forgiven for generous contributions to the Church. Now, seven centuries later, his name is still associated with indulgences of a different sort, in the form of the exceptional French wines produced at Château Pape Clément.

At Vinexpo last month, in Bordeaux, les vignerons bordelais were all abuzz with the thrill of the outstanding back-to-back 2009 and 2010 vintages. Many producers were showing off the wonderful...