Château L'Eglise Clinet, Pomerol, 2013

Denis always has a catchphrase for each vintage. He describes the 2013s as 'unspittable' wines. It's a bon mot. 'Unspittable', because there is so little wine it would be a crime to, and 'unspittable' as the wines are gourmand and cry out to be consumed! Some 10,000 bottles of Grand Vin will be produced in 2013. It is unfair to compare this to the outstanding 2012, it doesn't possess the same power, complexity or density, but it is nonetheless a wonderful wine. Denis explained that July was hotter than 2003, which has certainly helped to break down any unwanted methoxypyrazines. Thus the flavours are ripe with no hints of greenness. By the standards of the vintage, this is a big impressive wine. Fragrant, complex, decadent, even intellectual. The most striking characteristic is the precision of flavour. This is a suave, elegant Eglise Clinet, packed with cherry liqueur and griotte notes over layers of stoney minerality. It may not be a blockbuster, but it is charm personified and will reward collectors who tuck a case away for a decade.