L'Eglise Clinet 1995

One of the vintage's most awesome wines, L'Eglise Clinet's 1995 has been fabulous from both cask and bottle. The color is opaque purple. The wine is closed aromatically, but it does offer a concoction of black raspberries, kirsch, smoke, cherries, and truffles. Full-bodied and rich, with high tannin, but profound levels of fruit and richness, this dense, exceptionally well-delineated, layered, multidimensional L'Eglise Clinet only hints at its ultimate potentiel. This looks to be a legend in the making. I could not get over the extraordinary texture of this wine in the mouth. Intensity and richness without heavyness - a tour de force in winemaking !

The 1995 l’Eglise-Clinet is a wine that I have tasted many times, although probably the most interesting was when Denis Durantou poured a magnum against a bottle. One common trait throughout all the bottles is a delightful Provençal-tinged bouquet, hints of sage and wild fennel that percolate through the red berry fruit. There is power here, but also refinement. The palate is medium-bodied with plenty of red fruit again, tinged with menthol and ferrous veins emanating from the Cabernet Franc. It does not fan out or crescendo like the very best vintages, but it is a delicious Pomerol that is drinking perfectly now. Tasted from my personal collection.