La Petite Eglise, Pomerol, 2022
This is the third vintage made by Noémie Durantou and Olivier Gautrat, and for us the most successful range to date. From the juicy griotte character of the Saintayme to the imperious L'Eglise Clinet, every wine displays its distinctive terroir signature with aplomb. Sometimes Petite Eglise is overshadowed by some of the satellite wines, however, the 2022 has stepped up a gear and could be the finest example to date. Initially floral and leafy, with notes of violet and blood orange mixed with dark, glossy fruits. Really interesting and energetic. The mid-palate is a continuation of the bouquet with waves of silky, seamless fruit, checked by a fine line of acidity, long, graceful tannins and a hint of salinity. A really delightful and harmonious Pomerol. 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc.
critic reviews
The 2022 L'Église-Clinet has a generous bouquet with brambly red fruit, wild mint, fennel and light crushed stone scents that gain clarity with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit and gentle grip, silky smooth with a touch of dark chocolate towards the finish. Give this a couple of years, just to soak up that patina of new oak. Tasted blind at the Southwold tasting in London.
This comes from 0.62 hectares of Église-Clinet, selected mostly on the basis of terroir, mostly from two parcels near the church and near La Fleur-Pétrus, not young vines but on lighter clays, and in 2022 including some old-vine fruit from close to the château. It is 85% Merlot blended with 15% Cabernet Franc, and the élevage was in 60% new oak. An immediate thrust of focused confidence on the nose, before it quickly reveals its perfumed character, pure raspberry and red cherry with notes of rose and peony. This sense of tautly drawn purity continues on the palate, which starts mineral, focused and seamlessly composed, with a more structured middle of tightly packed tannins which interdigitate with these mineral fruits. Beautifully defined in the middle, with a great tannic confidence at the end, and it has length too. A super second wine (although, apart from that young-vine component, it is not really a second wine). The alcohol is 14.5% on analysis.
Earliest harvest on record, beginning August 31, and yet great Merlot quality is clear. An intense, almost reserved structure at this point, blackberry laced with cocoa bean and chocolate shavings, gunsmoke, black pepper and grilled fennel as it opens, great depth of flavour, clear family signature with L'Eglise Clinet. 34hl/h yields. Noémie Durantou winemaker.
There will only be some 4,700 bottles of the 2022 La Petite Eglise, a cuvee that combines some younger-vine fruit with two dedicated parcels, one located next to Pomerol's church, the other by the chateau of La Fleur-Petrus. Offering up aromas of cherries, sweet berries, incense, dark chocolate and petals, it's medium to full-bodied, supple and fleshy, with a suave, seamless, elegant profile, retaining a bright core of fruit and refined tannins in this warm vintage.