Region | |
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Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Pomerol |
Colour | Red |
Type | Still |
This small (8 hectare) property is situated at the edge of the plateau of Pomerol behind Clos L'Eglise. It shot to fame following a 100 point Parker rating in 1989 and then repeated this feat 20 years later. The wines here are serious, dense and powerful. A plot of old Merlot was grubbed up here at the end of 2018, making the cultivated area now less than 10ha. The proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon in the vineyard is now 18%, with the remainder Merlot after all the Cabernet Franc was removed.
The 2019 Clinet is showing beautifully in bottle, wafting from the glass with aromas of plums, cherries and berries mingled with hints of violets, licorice, subtle spices and smoke. Full-bodied, sensual and velvety, it's seamless and vibrant, with lively acids, ripe tannins and a long, resonant finish. This precise, concentrated wine is the finest young Clinet I've ever tasted, and it exemplifies the tremendous progress that Ronan Laborde has made at this estate over the last decade. Drink Date 2025 - 2055
The 2019 Clinet has maintained the stunning delineation that I discerned from the barrel sample. Pure black cherries, hints of cassis and wilted violet scents unfold in the glass with effortless ease, and the oak (75% new, 25% used for 18 months) is neatly integrated. The poised palate is medium-bodied, taut and fresh, with fine-grained tannins and disarming mineralité, particularly toward the finish, which delivers tremendous length and saliva-inducing salinity on the aftertaste. There is a pleasing strictness to this Clinet that is apposite to the flamboyant and decadent wines of the Nineties. This Clinet is one of Ronan Laborde's great achievements. 2027 - 2060
Deep ruby colour with a marked note of clove on the nose. Underneath, there is sweet, seductive black fruit. The palate is plush and rounded on entry, creamy with black fruit and spicy with oak. The sandalwood tones build a strong note that builds to the finish and which will need time to integrate. The chalky, rich and powerful structure together with this note make for a wine that will need time in bottle before approaching.
A full-bodied Pomerol with dark-fruit, coconut, chocolate and hazelnut character on both the nose and palate. Fine-tannined with an intensely tight and chewy texture. Spice at the end. Very flavorful and muscular, yet it’s balanced and precise with well-toned form. Needs five or six years to resolve. Try after 2027.
A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Clinet is deep garnet-purple in color. It gives up notes of cedar and damp soil to begin, soon unfurling to reveal redcurrant jelly, black raspberries, and wafts of pencil shavings with a hint of cardamom. The medium to full-bodied palate is firm and chewy, with bright fruit and a savory finish.
Sculpted, savoury, spliced-fruit feel, this stretches out through the palate with silky tannins layered up with cigar box, cocoa bean, espresso, sage and violet notes and a clear uplift of slate minerality on the drawn out finish. Luc Chassorieu is director of production, Ronan Laborde owner (this was his 17th harvest at Clinet). Bottled in June 2021; one month less ageing than in 2018. 80% new oak, 38hl/ha yield. This was Ronan's 17th harvest at Clinet, and contains more Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend than in 2018 (the vines are almost 70 years old now).
Tasted blind. Just a little earthbound and lacking vitality after wine number 8 (Ch Hosanna). Solid and not flawed but needs a bit of zip. 14.5%
Drink 2027– 2040
The 2019 Château Clinet is brilliant stuff and another classic Pomerol from the talented Ronan Laborde. Deep purple-hued, with awesome notes of crème de cassis, mulberries, tobacco leaf, chocolate, and damp earth, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, seamless mouthfeel, and gorgeous tannins. It delivers that rare mix of elegance and sexiness that only Pomerol can. It needed plenty of air to show at its best and needs a good 4-6 years of bottle age, but it's going to evolve for 20-25 years or more. I love everything about this wine, and it's certainly in the same ballpark as the 2015, 2016, and 2018. And it remains incredibly well-priced given the quality. Don’t miss it.
80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Barrel sample.
Purple-black hue. Concentrated cassis aroma, almost like a fruit liqueur. Palate more subdued but the fruit is generous and there’s plenty of zest and drive. Tannins and oak integrated. Clean, long finish. (JL)
Drink 2027 – 2040
The 2019 Clinet is just so fragrant on the nose: black and red fruit vying for attention, iris and incense, touches of truffle in the background. The purity that Ronan Laborde and his team have achieved should be applauded. The palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannins, perfect acidity, brilliant focus and a killer sense of tension on the finish. This is a stunning Clinet, the best that I have encountered in barrel over 20 years of tasting. That creamy texture takes your breath away. Up there with the very best - a Clinet that rivets you to the spot. 2025 - 2060
A firm, silky red with blackberry, black-olive, green-olive and stone aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied with juicy fruit and a flavorful finish. The balance and texture of this wine is exceptional.
A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2019 Clinet is deep garnet-purple colored. It charges out with vibrant blackberry pie, plum preserves, and raspberry pie with chocolate box and roses plus a hint of unsmoked cigars. Medium to full-bodied, it has lovely freshness, packed with bright, expressive fruits and wonderfully ripe tannins - so plush - finishing long and savory.
The 2019 Clinet is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, harvested from the 23rd of September to the 3rd of October. The alcohol weighed in at 14.5%. It is aging in French oak barriques, 75% new, using the OXOLINE system in order to minimize stirring. It is expected to age in barrels for 16 months. Opaque purple-black colored, it bursts from the glass with bold scents of ripe black plums, blackberry pie and blueberry compote with an undercurrent of redcurrant jelly, raspberry preserves, licorice, molten chocolate and cardamom with a fragrant waft of red roses. The palate is rich, full-bodied and fantastically opulent, with layers of exotic spices emerging among all the black fruit preserves flavors, framed by velvety tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and hedonic. 2027 - 2053
Co-owner Ronan Laborde is currently president of the Union des Grands Crus, and has the tricky task of overseeing and recommending a plan of action for 2019 En Primeur tastings and releases. The 2019 vintage is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon - the highest level of Cabernet Sauvignon since the 1970s. The wine will be aged in 75% new French oak for 16-18 months, with an abv of 14.5%. The yield was a healthy 38hl/ha, which will produce 49,500 bottles. We were unable to taste the wine before release this year.