| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Pomerol |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
This is the most sublime example of the 1998 l’Eglise-Clinet of many that I have tasted. The 1998 is a Pomerol that, after 23-years, has reached its zenith. It has a simply gorgeous bouquet of ebullient red fruit, black truffle, cedar and pressed rose petals, with exquisite delineation and harmony. That, follows through on the palate that has a fine bead of acidity, perfect balance, brilliant poise and ethereal purity. Whereas previous bottles have been tight and required longer cellaring, this indicates that Denis Durantou’s brilliant Pomerol is reaching its drinking plateau. Tasted at the Amos Bursary charity dinner at 67 Pall Mall. 2021 - 2050
I was lucky to track this down at the very last minute before it was needed for a tasting (from a wine shop in St Emilion) because bottles of this vintage are now like gold dust. It is in the perfect drinking window, and is just a wonderful example of a year that was particularly kind to the best Pomerol estates. Full-on black truffles and smoked earth, fragrant cigar box and turmeric spices, atumnal brambled fruits and melted tannins that are finely-honed yet still muscular, showcasing the tightrope that L'Eglise Clinet so often manages to walk. Winemaker Denis Durantou in full brilliant flow.
This effort should turn out to be one of the longest-lived Pomerols of the vintage. It is backward and has closed down since bottling, but make no mistake about it. . . this is a dazzling, serious vin de garde. An opaque purple color is followed by a restrained but promising bouquet of sweet black raspberries intermixed with vanilla, caramel, and minerals. The wine is full-bodied, powerfully tannic, beautifully textured, and crammed with extract (an assortment of black fruits). While it is bursting at the seams, purchasers will need to wait a minimum of 3-4 years. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035. Last tasted, 3/02.
Production : 850 cases
The brilliant Denis Durantou is making stunning wines, invariably matching, and beating, the top names of pomerol in blind tastings. A little over 1000 cases are produced from 50 year old vines (80% merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc). There are no fancy tricks here, just old vines, great terroir and inspired, yet traditional, winemaking. The grapes were all picked, at optimum ripeness, between September 21st and 26th before the rain. This is a contender for the wine of the vintage. Extraordinary layers of concentrated berry fruit are followed by a long finish.
The Château l'Eglise-Clinet 1998 has developed an absolutely stunning bouquet: precocious, glycerin-rich red cherries, cassis, violets and minerals all beautifully defined and so intense. The palate is full-bodied with ripe tannin, layers of sweet blackberry and wild strawberry fruit intermingling with white pepper, cumin, black truffle and tar. There is a crescendo towards the finish that just fans out across the mouth. After 17 years (which makes me feel old, as I remember tasting it from barrel), it is a Pomerol that will take on all comers in the appellation with the exception of the 1998 Petrus. It will give 40-50 years worth of drinking pleasure. Tasted March 2015. Drink: 2015 - 2030.
Tasted single blind at FINE magazine's vertical in Dusseldorf. This has a very ripe, Merlot-dominated bouquet, opulent compared to other vintages with touches of dried honey intermingling with precocious dark berry fruits and hints of truffle. The palate is medium-bodied with a tannic entry, grainy in texture with a savoury, smoke-tinged finish. Moderate length. Although it is now 12-years old, its remains very compact and endowed with a long-term future. Tasted February 2011.
Tasted at the Pomerol off-line at The Ledbury. This is a stunning L'Eglise-Clinet with stunning delineation on the vivacious bouquet: dark cherries, raspberry, blueberry, violet…still primal and nowhere near ready. It is just so full of energy and tension. The palate does not disappoint with a sense of ebullience and joie-de-vivre it did not have in its youth. This wine is beginning to attain harmony and focus with those ripe dark berried fruits strafed through with an engaging mineralite, the finish still tightly wound but very long and very focused. Brilliant. Drink 2014-2030+ Tasted September 2010.
