| Region | |
|---|---|
| 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. 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, with all the Cabernet Franc now removed from the vineyard.
Beautiful blue fruit and earth with hints of black truffle, this has a violet and fragrant edge, too. Really complex, youthful impression here. The palate has mouthwatering fruit flavor and terrific sense of fresh energy and cut on the finish. A blend of 90 per cent merlot and ten per cent cabernet sauvignon. Try from 2024.
The 2016 Clinet is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps with expressive blackberry pie, tobacco, new leather, and fruitcake notes with hints of dried lavender and menthol. Medium to full-bodied, firm, and chewy, it is maturing in character with lively backbone and lots of mineral sparks, finishing earthy.
The colour on this is deep and inky and a blast of cassis and black cherry fruit greets you on the nose. It has undeniable oak impact, but also a lovely lift that carries right through the palate, and that incredible Clinet precision. A fantastic 2016, not as exuberant as 2015 but showing the quality of the vintage where even the big-shouldered wines have a stunning lift, and a feeling of an invisible gossamer curtain holding them in place. Not a hedonist's vintage like 2009 or 2015, but cerebral in the style of 2001 and 2010. Strong coffee and grilled caramel on the finish.
Drinking Window 2027 - 2050
Blackish crimson. Headily sweet and gamey on the nose with dark, purple-fruit aromas and then this sample went dead on me on the palate. Sucked out the saliva. Very drying end. Awkward, stodgy finish. Not for me. Unripe phenolics.
Drink 2024-2036
Tasted on four separate occasions, the 2016 Château Clinet is another brilliant wine from this estate. Showing slightly more freshness and purity than the 2015, its saturated purple color is followed by a thrilling array of crème de cassis, graphite, ground herbs, and a terrific sense of minerality. Deep, full-bodied, with building tannins, and a magical sense of purity and elegance paired with real density and depth, it needs short term cellaring and will keep for three decades. 2020 - 2050.
The nose is light and fresh the start of the palate has red cherry and bramble but there is mid richness then a slight lack of balance with the tannins and freshness firming up the finish. 2025-36
Generally at the fresher end of the spectrum in Pomerol, this doesn’t lack weight or texture, but has backbone, savoury tannins and bright acidity too. It’s a dense wine, with plenty of chocolatey oak, yet it’s balanced, poised and long on the palate. 2024-34
The 2016 Clinet is composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was aged using the Oxoline system, in 70% new and 30% one-year-old barrels for 16 months. It has a deep garnet-purple color with cedar and smoked meats on the nose giving way to black and red plums and earthy notions with wafts of cassis and pencil shavings. The palate is medium to full-bodied, elegant, polished and vivacious with loads of red and black fruit layers and an earthy finish. Around 4,416 cases produced. Drink 2022-2052.
The 2016 Clinet is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon that was picked from 22 September for the young vines, the older vines picked 1 and 2 October, finishing with the Cabernet Sauvignon the following day. It was cropped at 49 hectoliters per hectare and matured in 70% new oak and the remainder in second-fill barrels. It has 14.15% alcohol and a record-breaking 94 IPT. It has a very linear bouquet, quite strict and intense with a light iodine and marine scent merging with the black fruit. This is a more "aristocratic" nose for Clinet, sophisticated and one of the most nuanced I have encountered. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin that forms the foundation of a more masculine Clinet, complex and focused with a subtle spiciness coming through on the finish, which fans out with confidence and leaves a disarming, saline tang in the mouth. Yes, this is a magnificent Clinet, cool and mineral-soaked, both cerebral and lip-smackingly delicious. Drink 2024 - 2055.
The linear character to this is so impressive with beautiful blackberries and blueberries. Crushed stones and minerals. Medium to full body. Very pretty.
