critic reviews
Cloves, saffron, turmeric, this goes long on spicy cloves and red pepper, with cinammon and cocoa bean. All this alongside plenty of luscious dark fruits, blackcurrant and bilberry, giving juice and balanc. This is well structued, with clear life ahead, heavy on the spice right now. 75% new oak. Ronan Laborde owner. 38hl/ha yield
A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Clinet is deep garnet-purple in color. It gives up notes of cedar and damp soil to begin, soon unfurling to reveal redcurrant jelly, black raspberries, and wafts of pencil shavings with a hint of cardamom. The medium to full-bodied palate is firm and chewy, with bright fruit and a savory finish.
The 2019 Clinet has quite a focused, graphite tinged, Cabernet Franc driven nose that offers fine complexity. The palate is medium-bodied with fine acidity, though it just loses a little refinement towards the finish. Fine sapidity, but it needs more length and precision overall. I've encountered better examples - this Pomerol might well be closing down. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.
The 2019 Clinet is showing beautifully in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of plums, cherries and berries mingled with hints of violets, licorice, subtle spices and smoke. Full-bodied, sensual and velvety, it's seamless and vibrant, with lively acids, ripe tannins and a long, resonant finish. This precise, concentrated wine is the finest young Clinet I've ever tasted, and it exemplifies the tremendous progress that Ronan Laborde has made at this estate over the last decade.