Region | |
---|---|
Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Pomerol |
Colour | Red |
Type | Still |
The 2015 l’Eglise-Clinet was picked between 21 and 25 September. The bouquet has closed up a little since I last tasted it with brambly red berry fruit, briary and light loamy aromas. It is certainly one of the more refined vintages from Denis Durantou in recent years. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, darker fruit than intimated by the nose, quite savory in style with graphite and tobacco towards the finish thanks to some very expressive Cabernet Franc. I suspect this is going to continue closing down as this Pomerol has a tendency to do. Tasted at the l’Eglise-Clinet vertical at the château in April 2018.
The violets, roses and dark fruits are so evident but they entice you in a subtle and fresh way. Full-bodied, dense and tannic, yet everything is so in tune with everything else and there are no hard edges or loose ends. It’s like a whirlpool that draws you down and then shows you its beauty. The harmony and complexity is phenomenal. Try in 2024 but I don’t want to wait.
In 2015 L’Eglise-Clinet was a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc and is deep garnet-purple in color. It needs a lot of swirling to unlock notes of warm black cherries, preserved plums, and blueberry compote, plus suggestions of tar, unsmoked cigars, and fertile loam. The full-bodied palate bursts with bold, ripe black fruits and loads of exotic spice sparks, framed by velvety tannins and tons of freshness, finishing on a lingering ferrous note.
Tasted blind. Muted but well-behaved nose. Black-cherry flavours but not overripe. Slightly charred but well intentioned.
Drink 2024-2040
Denis Durantou is making stunning wines that, since 1985, have invariably matched or beaten all the top names of Pomerol in blind tastings. Produced from 40 year old vines picked when ripe but never late. No fancy tricks here, just old vines, great terroir and inspired, yet traditional, wine-making. As our blind tastings have proved over and over again, this is one of the top wines of the Pomerol appellation. Picked quite early - 21st to 25th September when the grapes were ripe but fresh. The 4.2 hectares of vines are 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc with elevage in 70% new oak. There will be only 1000 cases produced of this wine that Denis descibes as a "sexy classic". Deep purple colour with blueberry, black cherry, saddle leather and even a hint of toasted almonds on this complex and hedonistic nose. The palate is layered with a huge density of both fruit and tannin. Spicy blackcurrant and silky black cherry pair with clove, nutmeg and lifted violets. Smoky wood spice builds towards the finish with the firm and chewy tannins. This will be one to hold in the cellar but the intensity and concentration will reward those with patience many times over.
The nose has a complex mix of flavours the palate the richness of ripe black plum and the firmness of black cherry. Soft velvety and supple in the middle the ripe fruit gives fleshy richness with the power and depth of fruit at the back balanced by underlying bilberry freshness the finish has length and elegance. 2025-40
The clay-based soils gave this wine a remarkable density and concentration in 2015. It’s a smooth, opulent wine with dense tannins, plenty of supporting oak and layer upon layer of fruit underscored by a minerally freshness. Lovely, ageworthy Pomerol. Drink: 2022-35
Denis Durantou served two samples of this wine – one freshly drawn and the other four days old. He explained tha they both show different aspects of his wine and he is absolutely right. 1: Immense power and dynamism with stunning perfume and drying tannins bookending a dense, briary core. 2: More concentration on the mid-palate showing depth and profound, earthy bass notes. Combining both samples together, this is a massive wine with muscle, regal tannins and the finish is immense.
The 2015 L'Eglise-Clinet has a classy pencil-shaving-tinged bouquet that combines beautifully with the black fruit, truffle and smoke developing with time in the glass. There is some top notch Cabernet Franc here. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, smooth and generous with a very pure finish that has a more velvety and plush texture than I observed 12 months earlier. I have encountered better showings but it will still turn around to develop into a formidable Pomerol. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.
The 2015 L'Eglise Clinet is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc that was matured in 70% new oak. It has an engaging, exquisite bouquet with effervescent red cherries, crushed strawberry, cold stone and violet aromas that just leap from the glass. The definition here is astonishingly good. The palate is medium-bodied with a silky smooth, satin-like texture and superb depth with a fine line of acidity, quite saline in the mouth and such effortless balance that you can almost ignore the backbone and structure of this Pomerol. As usual, it is a wine that will benefit from long-term aging—a supreme success for both the vintage and winemaker Denis Durantou and Olivier Gautrat (Denis’s wing man who has been at the property since 2001). Chapeau! Anticipated maturity: 2025 - 2055.
The 2015 L'Eglise-Clinet is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, picked between 21-25 September at 41 hl/ha and matured in 70% new oak. Denis Durantou poured two samples for me. First from Darnajou barrel. Here, a very composed, effortless bouquet with extremely pure raspberry coulis, strawberry, almost confit-like scents that display ethereal delineation. This is not a powerful or intense bouquet, rather one that is sophisticated and refined, bunches of violet emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy red berry fruit, crisp acidity, mineral-rich and tensile. There is tangible energy and refinement on the finish that lingers long and tenderly in the mouth, a wine constantly having something more to say. The second came from Demptos barrel. This was deeper on the nose, showing a touch more fruit, slightly higher toned. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, structured in the mouth, perhaps the barrel impressing its character more on the wine than the Darnajou. Together, they should combine to create a quite magical 2015 L'Eglise-Clinet. Drink 2022-2045.
Lively and energized. Full body, intense and dense tannins. Great wine. Goes on for minutes. Such focus and clarity.
Composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 L'Eglise Clinet comes bursting out of the glass with a gorgeous perfume of exotic spices and potpourri over a core of blueberry compote, red currant jelly, spiced black plums and mulberries with touches of unsmoked cigars, powdered cinnamon and licorice. Big, rich and full-bodied, the palate offers exquisite harmony, packed with exotic spice and red and black fruit layers, finishing on an epically long-lasting mineral note. In an understated word: WOW.
Quite soft. Perfumed - floral and possibly violet. Easy and friendly. Quite gentle tannins. Very sweet and round. 14.6% alcohol is not evident. An unexpectedly mild, well-mannered wine. Undramatic. Looks almost modest at this point.
Drink 2023-2035