| Region | |
|---|---|
| Subregion | France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Pomerol |
| Colour | Red |
| Type | Still |
View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château L'Église-Clinet
With a dense ruby/purple color is followed by a pure nose of mulberries, cherry liqueur and spring flowers, but no hint of oak, this full-bodied, opulent, rich beauty exhibits impressive purity, texture, richness and length. Not as structured or tannic as Trotanoy, it moves more in the direction of the opulence and flashy, showy fruit of Hosanna and Petrus. It should drink well for 15-20 years.
The 2011 l'Eglise-Clinet has a generous and high-toned bouquet with menthol-tinged red berry fruit, a hint of cough candy and black olive. This has good complexity and focus, manifesting more elegant and precision with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with lithe tannins, touches of mocha and black pepper infusing the red berry fruit, very cohesive with admirable concentration on the finish. This is drinking superbly now. Gorgeous. Tasted blind at the annual 10-Year-On tasting. 2022 - 2042
A wine that has a lovely depth of fruit and balance for the vintage, with blackberry, licorice and dark-chocolate character. Full and very silky. Very impressive. What a wonderful wine for the vintage. Full of finesse. Better in 2016.
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. 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc. Aged in 80% new oak. The Merlot was picked 12-15th September and the Cabernet Sauvignon on 24th September. This stunning Pomerol has a spectacular nose of creme de cassis, plums, violets, vanilla, crushed cherries, blackberries and raspberries. We could go on... Has to be the nose of the vintage! Fabulous intensity on the palate but exceptional balance. So cool and fresh despite the explosion of black fruit, spice and vanilla. Exceptional precision and harmony. A long, long finish. Every member of the Farr Vintners team rated this the wine of the vintage, just above Le Pin and Petrus.
There are a lot of ripe rich powerful black fruits on the nose and this richness of flavour fills out the mid palate. Ripe damson is backed by firmer black cherry all supported by ripe tannins. The richness suppleness of the mid palate is refreshed by a mix of bramble and bilberry lots of complexity.
"More clay, deep roots, no stress," was Denis Durantou's succinct summary of why Pomerol fared comparatively well in 2011. This superb wine confirms his theory: lavender and oregano on the nose, sweet sandalwood oak, supple, plump Merlot tannins on the palate, with Cabernet Franc adding a green pepper lift. Smoky, fresh and beautifully poised, this is one of the stars of the Right Bank. 12+ years.
Two samples: the first a touch oxidised and marked by oak; the second revealed the power, energy and density of this wine. A firm tannic frame underpins layers of rich, dark fruit. Possibly a 5-star wine down the line.
Another brilliant wine from proprietor Denis Durantou, the powerhouse 2011 l'Eglise Clinet is one of the most densely packed and stacked wines of Pomerol. Inky ruby/purple-colored with a classic bouquet of black currants, black cherries, creme caramel and vanillin, it reveals great fruit on the attack and mid-palate, medium to full body, lavish extraction, no bitterness, sweet, well-integrated tannins, and enough acidity for vibrancy and definition. It should be drinkable in 3-5 years and last for two decades or more.
The 2011 L’Eglise-Clinet was picked 12 to 15 September for the Merlot and 24 September for the Cabernet Franc. It has a harmonious bouquet that does not quite possess the vivacity and fruit intensity of the 2012. This is much more conservative in style but still very attractive with scents of mulberry, black truffle and light mushroom scents, perhaps ushering in secondary aromas quicker than the 2012. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannin, crisp acidity, a little spicier than the succeeding vintage but with fine salinity towards the finish. Tasted at the l’Eglise-Clinet vertical at the château in April 2018.
Tasted at the property, Denis Durantou cannot really do wrong these days. The l'Eglise-Clinet 2011 was cropped between 12th and 15th September and the Cabernet Franc on 24th September, a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc being aged in 80% new oak. The nose is very elegant bouquet once left to unfurl over 10 minutes. It offers dark cherry fruits with touches of cassis and minerals: all very refined and poised. The palate is very well balanced with great precision on the entry. The Merlot is very expressive this year. The tannins are supremely fine and the finish linear and strict, offering traces of briary and minerals. There is a lovely femininity and sense of drinkability about this harmonious l'Eglise-Clinet that should be a worthy follow-up to the heavenly 2010. Tasted April 2012.
A balanced wine with lovely floral and berry character and hints of dark chocolate. Full body, with a creamy tannin structure and lovely length. Lively acidity.
