Château L’Église-Clinet
About Château L’Église-Clinet
A minuscule estate in the heart of Pomerol, a mere 3.5 hectares were in production until 2020, and in some vintages, L’Église-Clinet produces less wine than the microscopic Le Pin. Rare, exceptional and famous – a deadly triumvirate of characteristics that have conspired to make this one of the most in-demand labels anywhere.
Viniculture
Arriving in 1982, Durantou presided over a monumental restructuring of the vineyards here, uprooting the vast majority of his Merlot vines to change to different rootstock he felt was “not too vigorous”. Lying between the cemetery and the church from which the property derives its name, the vineyards of L’Église-Clinet are planted to 85% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec. Split into four distinct plots, there is an abundance of classic Pomerol clay here, alongside a few deep veins of gravel. A staunch purist, Durantou (and now his children) was of the strong opinion that Cabernet Sauvignon was for the Left Bank!
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
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Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£2,089.24 |
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Wine Advocate (100)Deep garnet colored, the 2010 L'Eglise Clinet begins unassumingly with gentle notions of fragrant dried flowers and wild sage leading to savory nut and meat characters over an expanding core of preserved plums, blueberry compote and black cherry coulis plus a waft of menthol. Full-bodied, concentrated and wonderfully decadent, the palate is absolutely packed with rich, ripe black fruit preserves and loads of spicy sparks, framed by super ripe, super plush tannins, finishing very long and decadent. I love the interplay of subtly and power here - this is truly a WOW wine! |
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|
Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (WA) |
Inc. VAT
£1,399.24 |
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Wine Advocate (100)A wine that wins my nomination for the title of "wine of the vintage" is the 2012 L'Eglise Clinet, a fleshy and enveloping Pomerol evocative of dark cherries and berries mingled with licorice, spices, pencil lead, truffle and rose petals. Full-bodied, broad and textural, it's lavish and expansive, with terrific depth at the core, supple tannins and a long, resonant finish. Seamless, charming and impeccably balanced, this transcends the vintage, and while it's deceptively drinkable now, it remains a mere adolescent at age 11. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 95 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£662.44 |
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James Suckling (95)This is a vivid wine with terrific clarity and vibrance aromas and flavors. Full body, ultra fine tannins and a long, long finish. Class. Really superb for the vintage. Needs two or three years of bottle age to soften. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 94-97 (VN (AG)) |
Inc. VAT
£969.64 |
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Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94-97)The 2014 L'Eglise Clinet is a real head-turner. Gorgeous, super-expressive aromatics meld into a core of dark, sumptuous fruit. Lavender, mint, violets, graphite and crème de cassis notes abound in a powerful, structured wine endowed with magnificent purity and a skyscraper-like sense of lift. Finesse and power collide in a crystalline Pomerol of exceptional beauty. Powerful and dense to the core, the 2014 is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. The blend is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. |
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|
Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (JD) |
Inc. VAT
£2,059.24 |
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Jeb Dunnuck (100)One of the monumental wines in the vintage is the 2016 Château Eglise Clinet from proprietor Denis Durantou. Based on 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, this utterly perfect wine boasts a saturated purple color as well as an essence of Pomerol bouquet of ripe black cherries, blackcurrant liqueur, smoked tobacco, camphor, and graphite. Deep, full-bodied, incredibly powerful, and layered, yet always with class and balance, it offers a remarkable marriage of power and finesse. It’s already sexy and seductive yet also a baby, and needs 7-8 years of cellaring. It should keep for 3-4 decades (probably longer), but why wait? |
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|
Bordeaux | 1 | 98 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£1,249.24 |
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James Suckling (98)Extremely enticing aromas of blackberries, brambleberries, sweet tobacco, bark and mushrooms follow through to a medium to full body that grows on the palate and crescendoes to medium, round tannins, juicy fruit and a long, flavorful finish. Rolls along the palate. Excellent, persistent finish. Try after 2024, but already a joyous glass. |
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Bordeaux | 1 | 95-96 (JS) |
Inc. VAT
£316.84 |
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James Suckling (95-96)Very fresh, perfumed aromas of blackberries, black olives and some white pepper. The palate is full and extremely polished with lovely depth and length. Lovely second wine. Serious. |
Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (WA) |
In Bond
£1,725.00 |
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Wine Advocate (100)Deep garnet colored, the 2010 L'Eglise Clinet begins unassumingly with gentle notions of fragrant dried flowers and wild sage leading to savory nut and meat characters over an expanding core of preserved plums, blueberry compote and black cherry coulis plus a waft of menthol. Full-bodied, concentrated and wonderfully decadent, the palate is absolutely packed with rich, ripe black fruit preserves and loads of spicy sparks, framed by super ripe, super plush tannins, finishing very long and decadent. I love the interplay of subtly and power here - this is truly a WOW wine! |
|||||||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (WA) |
In Bond
£1,150.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (100)A wine that wins my nomination for the title of "wine of the vintage" is the 2012 L'Eglise Clinet, a fleshy and enveloping Pomerol evocative of dark cherries and berries mingled with licorice, spices, pencil lead, truffle and rose petals. Full-bodied, broad and textural, it's lavish and expansive, with terrific depth at the core, supple tannins and a long, resonant finish. Seamless, charming and impeccably balanced, this transcends the vintage, and while it's deceptively drinkable now, it remains a mere adolescent at age 11. |
|||||||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 95 (JS) |
In Bond
£536.00 |
|||||
James Suckling (95)This is a vivid wine with terrific clarity and vibrance aromas and flavors. Full body, ultra fine tannins and a long, long finish. Class. Really superb for the vintage. Needs two or three years of bottle age to soften. |
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|
Bordeaux | 1 | 94-97 (VN (AG)) |
In Bond
£792.00 |
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Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94-97)The 2014 L'Eglise Clinet is a real head-turner. Gorgeous, super-expressive aromatics meld into a core of dark, sumptuous fruit. Lavender, mint, violets, graphite and crème de cassis notes abound in a powerful, structured wine endowed with magnificent purity and a skyscraper-like sense of lift. Finesse and power collide in a crystalline Pomerol of exceptional beauty. Powerful and dense to the core, the 2014 is shaping up to be one of the wines of the vintage. The blend is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. |
|||||||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 100 (JD) |
In Bond
£1,700.00 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (100)One of the monumental wines in the vintage is the 2016 Château Eglise Clinet from proprietor Denis Durantou. Based on 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, this utterly perfect wine boasts a saturated purple color as well as an essence of Pomerol bouquet of ripe black cherries, blackcurrant liqueur, smoked tobacco, camphor, and graphite. Deep, full-bodied, incredibly powerful, and layered, yet always with class and balance, it offers a remarkable marriage of power and finesse. It’s already sexy and seductive yet also a baby, and needs 7-8 years of cellaring. It should keep for 3-4 decades (probably longer), but why wait? |
|||||||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 98 (JS) |
In Bond
£1,025.00 |
|||||
James Suckling (98)Extremely enticing aromas of blackberries, brambleberries, sweet tobacco, bark and mushrooms follow through to a medium to full body that grows on the palate and crescendoes to medium, round tannins, juicy fruit and a long, flavorful finish. Rolls along the palate. Excellent, persistent finish. Try after 2024, but already a joyous glass. |
|||||||||
|
Bordeaux | 1 | 95-96 (JS) |
In Bond
£248.00 |
|||||
James Suckling (95-96)Very fresh, perfumed aromas of blackberries, black olives and some white pepper. The palate is full and extremely polished with lovely depth and length. Lovely second wine. Serious. |