Château L’Église-Clinet
About Château L’Église-Clinet
A minuscule estate in the heart of Pomerol, a mere 3.5 hectares were in production until 2020, and in some vintages, L’Église-Clinet produces less wine than the microscopic Le Pin. Rare, exceptional and famous – a deadly triumvirate of characteristics that have conspired to make this one of the most in-demand labels anywhere.
Viniculture
Arriving in 1982, Durantou presided over a monumental restructuring of the vineyards here, uprooting the vast majority of his Merlot vines to change to different rootstock he felt was “not too vigorous”. Lying between the cemetery and the church from which the property derives its name, the vineyards of L’Église-Clinet are planted to 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec. Split into four distinct plots, there is an abundance of classic Pomerol clay here, alongside a few deep veins of gravel. A staunch purist, Durantou (and now his children) was of the strong opinion that Cabernet Sauvignon was for the Left Bank!
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Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (WA) | د.إ7,980.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)Deep garnet colored, the 2010 L'Eglise Clinet begins unassumingly with gentle notions of fragrant dried flowers and wild sage leading to savory nut and meat characters over an expanding core of preserved plums, blueberry compote and black cherry coulis plus a waft of menthol. Full-bodied, concentrated and wonderfully decadent, the palate is absolutely packed with rich, ripe black fruit preserves and loads of spicy sparks, framed by super ripe, super plush tannins, finishing very long and decadent. I love the interplay of subtly and power here - this is truly a WOW wine! |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (WA) | د.إ5,365.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (100)A wine that wins my nomination for the title of "wine of the vintage" is the 2012 L'Eglise Clinet, a fleshy and enveloping Pomerol evocative of dark cherries and berries mingled with licorice, spices, pencil lead, truffle and rose petals. Full-bodied, broad and textural, it's lavish and expansive, with terrific depth at the core, supple tannins and a long, resonant finish. Seamless, charming and impeccably balanced, this transcends the vintage, and while it's deceptively drinkable now, it remains a mere adolescent at age 11. |
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Bordeaux | 4 | 94-97 (VN (AG)) | د.إ3,470.00 | |||||
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94-97)The 2014 L'Eglise Clinet is a real head-turner. Gorgeous, super-expressive aromatics meld into a core of dark, sumptuous fruit. Lavender, mint, violets, graphite and crème de cassis notes abound in a powerful, structured wine endowed with magnificent purity and a skyscraper-like sense of lift. Finesse and power collide in a crystalline Pomerol of exceptional beauty. Powerful and dense to the core, the 2014 is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. The blend is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (DC) | د.إ5,155.00 | |||||
Decanter (100)Notes of cassis, bilberry, damson, charcoal and liquorice, with pure blackberry juice filling the crevices in between. The tannins are firm but flexible, allowing for some lightness. Hugely complex, but still hugely young. This vintage was made from the first year of the full maturity for these young vines – now 14 years old, 3.55pH. At this youthful stage you can feel the smoky, grilled brush of the oak, which is 70% new, with medium toast, and it’s double toasted to ensure there are no vanillin flavours. This wine will climb upwards and outwards towards the horizon, staking a claim for greatness in 2015. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (JD) | د.إ6,710.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)One of the monumental wines in the vintage is the 2016 Château Eglise Clinet from proprietor Denis Durantou. Based on 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, this utterly perfect wine boasts a saturated purple color as well as an essence of Pomerol bouquet of ripe black cherries, blackcurrant liqueur, smoked tobacco, camphor, and graphite. Deep, full-bodied, incredibly powerful, and layered, yet always with class and balance, it offers a remarkable marriage of power and finesse. It’s already sexy and seductive yet also a baby, and needs 7-8 years of cellaring. It should keep for 3-4 decades (probably longer), but why wait? |
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Bordeaux | 10 | 98 (JS) | د.إ4,580.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)Extremely enticing aromas of blackberries, brambleberries, sweet tobacco, bark and mushrooms follow through to a medium to full body that grows on the palate and crescendoes to medium, round tannins, juicy fruit and a long, flavorful finish. Rolls along the palate. Excellent, persistent finish. Try after 2024, but already a joyous glass. |
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Bordeaux | 2 | 99 (JD) | د.إ5,410.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (99)One of the blockbusters in the vintage is Denis Durantou's 2018 Château L'Eglise Clinet, which is a normal blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc brought up in 70% new French oak. This deep purple-hued beauty boasts an awesome, full-bodied, opulent personality as well as classic Pomerol notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, damp earth, chocolate, tobacco, and flowers. Rich, concentrated, and sexy, yet not over the top in any way, it expands on the palate, has sweet tannins, background oak, and a great, great finish. It already offers pleasure yet won't hit prime time for another 7-8 years and is going to evolve for 25-30 years or more, and probably have a gradual decline after that. |
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Bordeaux | 2 | 100 (WCI) | د.إ7,435.00 | |||||
The Wine Cellar Insider (100)The last vintage produced by Pomerol legend, Denis Durantou, (who sadly passed away May 2020), is one of his best. A testament to his devotion to his vineyards, the wine explodes with a gorgeous set of aromatics packed with flowers, chocolate, truffle, plums, black cherries, and wet earth. But it is on the palate where the magic takes place. Incredibly concentrated, rich, ostentations, silky and vibrant, the wine offers incredible purity to the fruit, which is a good thing because the finish is not something you want to lose sight of, as its showy display of chocolate-tinged, dark red fruits, licorice, spice, and black cherries lingers, builds and expands. Built to age and evolve, give it some time in the cellar and enjoy it for 3 decades with ease. This is exactly the type of wine Denis Durantou truly loved making. Owners of this beauty should toast him and his years of work at L'Eglise Clinet. I know I will. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 98-99 (JS) | د.إ3,315.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98-99)Wonderfully bright, floral aromas with so much violet character. Such purity and focus. Ethereal on the nose already. Full-bodied, but very polished and deep with finesse and beauty. Incredible structure that fills the mouth. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 98-99 (JS) | د.إ6,770.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98-99)Wonderfully bright, floral aromas with so much violet character. Such purity and focus. Ethereal on the nose already. Full-bodied, but very polished and deep with finesse and beauty. Incredible structure that fills the mouth. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 98-100 (VN (NM)) | د.إ3,825.00 | |||||
Vinous - Neal Martin (98-100)The 2022 L'Eglise-Clinet was picked from 3 to 9 September for the Merlot and the Cabernet Franc on 5 and 9 September, matured in 85% new oak. It has an exquisitely-defined bouquet with succinct floral, pressed iris and clay notes percolating through the black fruit. With breathtaking focus, these scents seem to cast a spell over you. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chalky tannins that frame the mineral-laden, peppery black fruit. There's not a hair out of place, exuding the essence of this Pomerol estate with an exceptionally long, intense and paradoxically tender finish. It's a wine that may leave you spellbound...just like this barrel sample. |
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Bordeaux | 2 | 93 (VN (AG)) | د.إ848.00 | |||||
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93)The 2017 La Petite Eglise is poweful and rich in the glass. Dark purplish berry fruit, charcoal, licorice, clove and lavender are some of the many nuances that infuse the 2017 with its distinctly somber personality. Unctuous and racy in feel, with superb density, the 2017 is a decidedly extroverted Pomerol. Tasting it from bottle, I have the same impression I did en primeur: it is easily better than many top bottlings. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 93-94 (JS) | د.إ1,130.00 | |||||
James Suckling (93-94)This is very tight and long for Petite Église with a very compact and focused palate. Medium-to full-bodied, compressed palate with ripe tannins that are firm and fresh. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 95-96 (JS) | د.إ1,275.00 | |||||
James Suckling (95-96)A really refined red with blue fruit, subtle chocolate and sandalwood. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and refined. Very pure. It goes on and on. One of the best I remember. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 95-96 (JS) | د.إ1,160.00 | |||||
James Suckling (95-96)Very fresh, perfumed aromas of blackberries, black olives and some white pepper. The palate is full and extremely polished with lovely depth and length. Lovely second wine. Serious. |
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