Château L'Eglise Clinet, Pomerol, 2020

Name: Château L'Eglise Clinet, Pomerol
Brand: Château L'Eglise Clinet
Price: 1335.53 GBP

Available Vintages

all 1995 2006 2009 2012 2018 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

justerini & brooks tasting note

This is the first vintage since the untimely death of the Denis Durantou. His daughters, Noémie and Constance have taken the reins, ably assisted by Denis’ long standing collaborator Olivier Gautrat. Noémie sums up the vintage as “Green buds in February, constant rain in spring, the aridity of summer and a mid-September harvest: wine of freshness and brightness, like a dense and colorful garden, vivacity, fruits and flowers in the rain.” Her first full vintage in charge has been a huge success. The 2020 Eglise Clinet is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The Merlot was picked between the 11th and the 14th of September and the Cabernet Franc was picked on the 16th September. Initially quite closed, this requires aeration, then slowly aromas of blood orange, eucalyptus, flowers, loganberries, clove, sweet damsons emerge. This feels refined and controlled, one might expect an exuberant Eglise Clinet from such a warm dry vintage, however, this is cerebral and quite introverted. The palate is deep and brooding, tightly wound, with dark brooding crème de mûre interspersed with bright starry notes; lovely detail and energy to the gloriously textured, concentrated, taut fruit. The tannic profile is authoritative, exuding class with flecks of scintillating minerals, floral cherry, dark cocoa nibs, and a hint of mocha. We returned to this some hours later and the palate had filled out with expressive, gorgeously textured fruit. Superb!

critic reviews

98/100Neal Martin,Vinous

The 2020 L'Eglise-Clinet has a very intense bouquet with multi-layered red and black fruit, cedar and iron scents—complex and engaging, though there is a touch of oak still to be assimilated. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe, saturated tannins. Satin-textured, seamless and very precise with an irresistible, youthful, sensual finish, this is a brilliant wine that needs a few years in bottle (if you can resist). Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

DRINKING WINDOW 2029 - 2060

date of review 11/2024

97/100William Kelley,Robert Parker Wine Advocate

A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 L'Eglise Clinet wafts from the glass with aromas of dark berries, mulberries, cherries and cassis mingled with notions of espresso roast, loamy soil, violets and truffle framed by creamy new oak. Full-bodied, layered and concentrated, it's a rich, youthfully firm, muscularly constructed young Pomerol that will richly reward bottle age.

DRINKING WINDOW 2030 - 2065

date of review 04/2023

99/100Lisa Perrotti-Brown,The Wine Independent

The 2020 L'Eglise-Client, made from 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, is deep garnet-purple in color. It opens with wonderfully fragrant notes of violets, dark chocolate, aniseed, and forest floor, leading to a core of preserved plums and black cherry preserves, plus a touch of cast-iron pan. The medium to full-bodied palate explodes with tons of juicy black fruit layers, supported by velvety tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with a whole array of baking spice, black berry, and minerally accents.

DRINKING WINDOW 2028 - 2068

date of review 03/2023

97/100Jane Anson,Inside Bordeaux

So much depth, character and density. Hugely rich in its dark damson, bilberry and chocolate character, sliced off pieces of dark slate, pummice stone and crushed rock. Hard not to smile at the pleasure contained in this bottle. It is both very much rooted in Pomerol and yet not at all Pomerol, both brooding and fabulous. Secure your bottle. 50% new oak, harvest September 9 to 16.

DRINKING WINDOW 2027 - 2046

date of review 02/2023