Château L'Eglise Clinet, Pomerol
    Château L'Eglise Clinet

    Château L'Eglise Clinet, Pomerol, 2020

    97/100
    Inside Bordeaux
    99/100
    The Wine Independent
    98/100
    Vinous
    Available Vintages
    Broking
    1. 2020

      6x75cl

      DP

      £1,401.53

    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!

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    Critic Reviews

    99/100
    Lisa 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
    97/100
    Jane 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
    98/100
    Neal Martin,
    Vinous
    The 2020 L'Eglise-Clinet takes time to open up in the glass, so I afford it 15-20 minutes to aerate. It's definitely worth a bit of patience. It delivers exquisite, ineffably pure aromas of black fruit, pressed violet, hints of marmalade and truffle. Amazing focus and precision. The palate is medium-bodied with finely-chiseled tannins, crisp and taut, just a very slight creaminess in terms of texture towards the second half with a long, peppery tail on the aftertaste. This is a quite fabulous Pomerol that will give 20+ years of drinking pleasure. Noemie Durantou feels this has more depth than the 2019 and she may well be right…
    drinking window 2029 - 2055
    date of review 02/2023

    product details

    Specifications

    Country:
    France
    Region:
    Bordeaux
    Appellation:
    Pomerol
    style:
    Red Wine
    Grape Variety:
    Merlot Cabernet Franc
    abv:
    12.5%

    allergen information

    This product may contain sulphites. Full allergen information is available upon request, please call our Customer Relations Team on +44 (0)20 7484 6430.