Château L'Eglise-Clinet - Pomerol

98 RP Points
98 RP Points
95 RP Points
96 RP Points
95 RP Points
99 RP Points
95 RP Points
96 RP Points
99 RP Points
97 RP Points
Château L'Eglise-Clinet - Pomerol
Château L'Eglise-Clinet - Pomerol - 2016 - 75cl - Onshore Cellars

Château L'Eglise-Clinet - Pomerol

Vintage
Size
Regular price €233.00
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Tasting Notes

The 2016 L'Eglise Clinet has a medium to deep garnet-purple color with aromas of warm black cherries, mulberries and Black Forest cake slipping seductively from the glass plus nuances of rose hip tea, baking spices, fragrant soil and fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, it's wonderfully elegant in the mouth with fantastically plush tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and very perfumed. Beautiful!
Composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 L'Eglise Clinet comes bursting out of the glass with a gorgeous perfume of exotic spices and potpourri over a core of blueberry compote, red currant jelly, spiced black plums and mulberries with touches of unsmoked cigars, powdered cinnamon and licorice. Big, rich and full-bodied, the palate offers exquisite harmony, packed with exotic spice and red and black fruit layers, finishing on an epically long-lasting mineral note. In an understated word: WOW.

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A gorgeous wine from proprietor Denis Durantou, this blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc is an inky purple color, with gorgeous purity of black raspberries, blackcurrants and blackberry with a hint of truffle and spring flowers. Its is full-bodied, opulent and a tour de force in this vintage. Great presence on the palate, fabulous purity and a long finish make for a magnificent bottle of wine to drink over the next 20-some years.
With a dense ruby/purple color is followed by a pure nose of mulberries, cherry liqueur and spring flowers, but no hint of oak, this full-bodied, opulent, rich beauty exhibits impressive purity, texture, richness and length. Not as structured or tannic as Trotanoy, it moves more in the direction of the opulence and flashy, showy fruit of Hosanna and Petrus. It should drink well for 15-20 years.
A riveting wine, pure, elegant, but at the same time, extremely powerful and concentrated, with stunning texture, opulence and density, the tannins are abundant, and the wine certainly in need of a decade of cellaring. Fabulous creme de cassis and cherry liqueur notes are intertwined with hints of licorice, truffle, and graphite. Full and rich, but still in an infantile state of development, this wine needs to be cellared for 10 years but should keep for five decades or more. This 2009 is absolutely profound.
A remarkable wine in this vintage, L’Eglise Clinet’s 2008 has a color almost as dark as the barrel sample of 2010. Classic mocha and caramel-infused creme de cassis and black cherry notes, with hints of licorice and loamy soil soar from the glass of this opaque ruby/purple, aromatically compelling wine. Opulent, expansive, and savory, with a broad texture, a full-bodied mouthfeel, terrific purity and a layered finish, this is another big, massive wine that transcends the vintage character, and will probably need 7-10 years of bottle age. It should keep for 20 or more years as well.
Tasted at Bordeaux Index's annual 10-Year On tasting in London. The 2006 Château L'Eglise-Clinet has a killer bouquet: intense black and red fruit, crushed rose petals, a touch of potters wheel and dried herbs. It possesses one of the classiest aromatics in the Pomerol appellation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, dense dark berry fruit laced with black tea, dried herbs and a touch of juniper, gently building towards a lightly spiced, dense finish with impressive substance. This is a long-term Pomerol that needs another 3-4 years in bottle.
The Château l'Eglise-Clinet 2005 was served from bottle and from magnum (both ex-cellar). It has a magnificent nose with bewitching delineation: darker fruit than either the 2003 or 2004, blackberry, raspberry, hints of black tea and black truffle. The palate is medium-bodied with brilliant focus, still quite backward as so many grandees of this vintage remain, albeit beginning to soften towards the licorice-tinged finish. This is a benchmark for both Denis Durantou and this Pomerol estate, although I can see it testing wine-lovers' patience.
The Château l'Eglise-Clinet 2000 was the only vintage that Denis Durantou did not fine before bottling. It is blessed with a brilliant nose that possesses the intensity of the 1998, but I find this more focused and delineated. It has a level of purity that one can only describe as profound, scents of black cherry, cassis, cedar and black truffle unfolding with each passing moment in the glass. The palate has exquisite balance with salinity that gets the saliva flowing. There is a seam of spiciness, black pepper and rosemary that coat the mouth, but the overall style at the moment is linear and focused. The precision on the finish is enthralling, completing a fabulous l'Eglise-Clinet that rivets your feet to the spot (and maybe your palate, too?).

More information

Provenance
Type
Red
Country
Appellation
Technical
ABV
14.5%
Serving
16° - 18° C
Drinking
2010 - 2030
Key Characteristics
High alcoholWarmingRed fruitBlack fruitLiquoriceMushroom

Behind the bottle

Chateau Leglise Clinet

Château l'Eglise Clinet

Château Eglise Clinet is a renowned wine producer located in the Pomerol appellation of Bordeaux, France. The estate has a rich history dating back to the 18th century...

Château Eglise Clinet is a renowned wine producer located in the Pomerol appellation of Bordeaux, France. The estate has a rich history dating back to the 18th century when it was owned by the Léglise family. In 1882, it was purchased by the Constant family who added the name Clinet to the estate. The château was later acquired by Denis Durantou in 1983, who transformed it into one of the most sought-after wine producers in the world.

The vineyards of Château Eglise Clinet are situated on the famous clay and gravel soils of Pomerol, which are known for producing some of the finest Merlot-based wines in the world. The estate covers 5.5 hectares and is planted with 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon. The vines have an average age of 45 years and are meticulously tended to by hand.

The style of production at Château Eglise Clinet is traditional, with a focus on producing wines that are elegant, complex, and age-worthy. The grapes are hand-harvested and sorted before being fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. The wine is then aged in French oak barrels, with up to 100% new oak used for the Grand Vin.

The flagship wine of Château Eglise Clinet is the Grand Vin, which is a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The wine is known for its deep ruby color, intense aromas of black fruit, and complex flavors of black cherry, cassis, and spice. The tannins are firm yet silky, and the finish is long and lingering. The estate also produces a second wine called La Petite Eglise, which is made from younger vines and is a more approachable wine in its youth.

Château Eglise Clinet has received numerous accolades over the years, including a perfect 100-point score from wine critic Robert Parker for the 2009 vintage of the Grand Vin. The estate is also a member of the prestigious Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, which is a group of top wine producers in the region.

In conclusion, Château Eglise Clinet is a world-class wine producer that is known for its traditional style of production and exceptional wines. The estate's rich history, meticulous vineyard management, and focus on quality have made it one of the most sought-after wine producers in the world.

Château l'Eglise Clinet
Bordeaux - Onshore Cellars

Bordeaux

Bordeaux, in the southwest of France, needs little introduction as one of the world's most famous, prestigious and prolific wine regions. The majority of Bordeaux wines (nearly 90...
Bordeaux, in the southwest of France, needs little introduction as one of the world's most famous, prestigious and prolific wine regions. The majority of Bordeaux wines (nearly 90 percent of production volume) are the dry, medium- and full-bodied red Bordeaux Blends that established its reputation.

The finest (and most expensive) of these are the wines from the great châteaux of the Haut-Médoc and the Right Bank appellations Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. The former is focused (at the top level) on Cabernet Sauvignon, the latter pair on on Merlot.

The legendary reds are complemented by high-quality white wines based on Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. These range from dry whites to challenge the best from the Burgundy region (Pessac-Léognan is particularly renowned) to the sweet, botrytized nectars of Sauternes.
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Pomerol

Pomerol

Pomerol is a small wine appellation in the Bordeaux region of southwestern France, located on the right bank of the Dordogne River near the larger commune of Libourne....

Pomerol is a small wine appellation in the Bordeaux region of southwestern France, located on the right bank of the Dordogne River near the larger commune of Libourne. Despite covering only around 785 hectares, it ranks among Bordeaux's most prestigious areas and has been recognized for quality wine production since at least the 18th century.

The appellation's terroir is defined by its distinctive clay and iron-rich soils, which differ markedly from the Left Bank's gravel-based vineyards. The maritime-influenced Atlantic climate and relatively cool growing season suit the thick-skinned Merlot grape particularly well, though Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Petit Verdot are also permitted. Merlot dominates plantings and typically comprises the majority of wines from the region; winemaking emphasizes traditional methods with extended aging in French oak to develop complexity.

Pomerol wines are characterized by richness and soft tannin structure, with ripe dark fruit flavors—plum, blackberry, and cherry—often layered with notes of chocolate, leather, and earthiness. The finest examples achieve remarkable depth and ageability despite their approachable, velvety texture at release. Production remains limited and fragmented among numerous small proprietors, many family-owned, which contributes to the appellation's exclusivity and the significant variation in style between individual estates.

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