Wine Advocate (94-96)

The 2013 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has an inviting, warm and enveloping bouquet that seems to surround the senses and give them a big hug. The palate is well balanced with fine tannins, animated citrus fruit underlying the black cherries and wild strawberry notes. There is really quite wonderful precision and focus on the finish. This is one of Jadot's best 2013s.

Wine Advocate (93-95)

The 2016 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru was showing a little more reduction on the nose compared to the Clos Saint-Denis, although I felt that there is more detail and complexity in situ. The palate is very refined with filigree tannin, great tension and focus, a gentle grip in the mouth with an almost tart, tensile finish that lingers in the mouth. I also appreciate the spiciness on the aftertaste. Superb.

Wine Advocate (91-93)

The 2016 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru was picked on 28 September, includes 30% whole bunch fruit and matured in 40% new oak. It has a clean, fresh and vibrant bouquet with red cherry, cranberry leaf and fine mineralité coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannin, impressive depth, quite saline in the mouth with a pinch of spice/black pepper toward the finish. This is a well-crafted Clos de la Roche that should age with style.

Vibrantly expressing terroir-driven nuances, the Belle Brise 2018 bestows an exquisite drinking experience. From the extraordinary Pauillac region of Bordeaux, France, this sophisticated wine is cultivated by the esteemed Château Belle-Brise, famed for their meticulous, organic grape-growing traditions. Like every bottle from the estate, Belle Brise 2018 is exclusively hand-harvested, preserving grapes' integrity.

The blend manifests a remarkable combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, aged exquisitely in specially sourced oak barrels, granting an unrivalled complexity of flavour. Vive la Belle Brise!

This opulent vintage presents notes of ripe blackcurrants, luscious plums, and subtle hints of violet, underlined by a nuanced, cedarwood finish. The Belle Brise 2018 displays sublime structure, commanding depth of flavour, and an elegantly smooth finish.

A true gem within the world of fine wines, Belle Brise 2018 is a robust, well-balanced revelation, promising a sublime addition to any discerning wine cellar.

Relish the charm of French winemaking with the Belle Brise 2019. Birthed in the esteemed vineyards of Bordeaux, this fine wine epitomises meticulous craftsmanship. Masterfully curated by premier winemakers, the Belle Brise 2019 gleams with a radiant ruby hue, signifying its robust constitution. Its harmonious blend of earthy aromas and fruity undertones, heightened by the subtle oak influence, symbolises the synthesis of tradition and innovation that defines Belle Brise's philosophy. The wine is aged in French oak, reflecting their enduring commitment to authenticity.

A taste of Belle Brise 2019 is an invitation to savour the distinctive terroir of Bordeaux - a poetic union of rich clay soils tempered by the region's gentle maritime climate. This fine wine offers complexity, depth with a velvety finish, embodying Belle Brise's artistry and the unerring dedication of its winemakers. Whether enjoyed on its own or complementing exquisite cuisine, Belle Brise 2019 encapsulates the quintessence of fine winemaking from the heart of Bordeaux.

James Suckling (92)

A juicy and chewy young Bordeaux with chocolate, berry and walnut character. Medium to full body and polished tannins. Needs three to four years to soften. Second wine of L’Evangile.

James Suckling (92)

A juicy and chewy young Bordeaux with chocolate, berry and walnut character. Medium to full body and polished tannins. Needs three to four years to soften. Second wine of L’Evangile.

Jeb Dunnuck (93)

The 2016 L'Evangile Blason de l'Evangile is another brilliant second wine that delivers the goods. Showing a more upfront, fruit-loaded, opulent style, it gives up tons of cassis fruits, tobacco, incense, dried herbs, and graphite. With no hard edges, a full-bodied, rounded, sexy texture, and a great finish, it's a sexy, sexy Pomerol to drink over the coming 10-15 years, if not longer.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (93)

The 2014 Bonalgue is ripe, racy and voluptuous, all of which make it pretty hard to resist. Dark red cherry, espresso, grilled herbs, French oak and menthol caress the palate. All the elements have come together beautifully in this overt, flamboyant yet midweight Pomerol. Silky tannins add to the wine’s early and medium-term appeal. Another year or two in bottle should help the oak integrate a bit further, but this will always be in a forward, giving style. Tasted two times.

Vinous - Antonio Galloni (90-93)

The 2013 Clinet is terrific. Dark red and blue fruits, new leather, violets, menthol and sweet spices meld together in a wine of rare distinction for the year. This is one of the more pliant, expressive 2013s readers will come across. The finish is long, silky and polished. The oak needs time to fully integrated, but I don't think that is going to be a problem. This is a terrific showing.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

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.

Jeb Dunnuck (93-95)

Reminding me of the 2014, the 2017 Château Clinet is a beautiful, dense, concentrated wine that has terrific notes of blueberries, spring flowers, and chocolaty oak. It’s very much in the style of the vintage with its cool, perfumed aromatics and sensational purity of fruit, yet it also has richness and weight. It’s a brilliant Pomerol.

Jeb Dunnuck (99)

Including slightly more Cabernet Sauvignon than usual, the 2018 Château Clinet is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon that was brought up in 75% new French oak. One of the superstars of the vintage, it has incredible elegance and finesse as well as gorgeous richness and depth. Notes of cassis and truffly dark fruits as well as tobacco, damp earth, chocolate, and lead pencil shavings emerge from the glass, and it's full-bodied, with a seamless, multi-dimensional texture, gorgeous tannins, and a great, great finish. It already offers incredible pleasure, but it won't hit maturity for another 5-7 years and should evolve for 30 years or more. This magical wine is in the same league as the 2015 and 2016, and drinking these beauties over the coming decades will be an incredible treat.

Vinous - Neal Martin (98)

The 2019 Clinet has maintained the stunning delineation that I discerned from the barrel sample. Pure black cherries, hints of cassis and wilted violet scents unfold in the glass with effortless ease, and the oak (75% new, 25% used for 18 months) is neatly integrated. The poised palate is medium-bodied, taut and fresh, with fine-grained tannins and disarming mineralité, particularly toward the finish, which delivers tremendous length and saliva-inducing salinity on the aftertaste. There is a pleasing strictness to this Clinet that is apposite to the flamboyant and decadent wines of the Nineties. This Clinet is one of Ronan Laborde's great achievements.

Vinous - Neal Martin (98)

The 2019 Clinet has maintained the stunning delineation that I discerned from the barrel sample. Pure black cherries, hints of cassis and wilted violet scents unfold in the glass with effortless ease, and the oak (75% new, 25% used for 18 months) is neatly integrated. The poised palate is medium-bodied, taut and fresh, with fine-grained tannins and disarming mineralité, particularly toward the finish, which delivers tremendous length and saliva-inducing salinity on the aftertaste. There is a pleasing strictness to this Clinet that is apposite to the flamboyant and decadent wines of the Nineties. This Clinet is one of Ronan Laborde's great achievements.

Jeb Dunnuck (96-98+)

I continue to love the wines from this estate, and the 2020 Château Clinet is no exception. Straight-up sensational notes of blueberries, cassis, violets, tobacco, and earth all emerge from the glass, and this beauty is full-bodied, with a rich, concentrated mid-palate, flawless balance, and a great finish. It shows the tighter, fresher, more focused style of the vintage, yet it still brings plenty of mid-palate depth as well as an expansive texture. It has enough oak to warrant short-term bottle age but will have 25-30 years of overall longevity. This is a gorgeous wine.

Decanter (98)

Quiet, controlled with a spellbinding timbre. Neverending, and phenomenal in terms of its quality.

James Suckling (99)

Incredibly complex aromas of baking spices, fresh red fruit and a fine and elegant, floral edge, as well as red cherries, raspberries and red plums. This is phenomenal, so precise and concentrated with such detail and power, delivered with elegance and precision. The palate is super long. The best vintage made at Clonakilla to date! Perfection! Drink now, but better from 2026. Screw cap.

Vinous - Neal Martin (93+)

The 2016 Clos du Clocher has a rich, opulent bouquet with layers of macerated small black cherries, crème de cassis and violet aromas. There is brightness and vivacity here. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, finely judged acidity, a slightly lactic texture and flecks of dark chocolate toward the finish, which fans out nicely. This will need time, but it is very promising. A composed and refined Pomerol from Jean-Baptiste Bourotte.

Vinous - Neal Martin (94)

The 2015 Clos l’Eglise needs encouragement on the nose. Initially surprisingly taciturn, it reveals well-defined blackberry, raspberry, leather and truffle scents. The palate is silky smooth with fine delineation, quite poised with dark chocolate and espresso complementing the lush red fruit. There is gentle grip towards the finish that gains length, though never achieves the heights of the following vintage. Still, this is going to give a lot of pleasure over the next 10-15 years. Tasted at the Clos l’Eglise vertical.

Vinous (92-94)

The 2018 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has a gorgeous bouquet of dark berry fruit, crushed stone and touches of truffle and iodine. It just bursts from the glass. The palate is very ripe and sweet on the entry, displaying a lot of sucrosity and a very vibrant finish laden with cola-tinged black fruit. It might just be a little too much for my palate, although I suspect it will be very seductive.

Vinous (96-98)

The 2020 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has a powerful yet beguiling, elegant bouquet that offers layers of red cherry and blackberry fruit, the oak here seamless integrated, likewise the whole bunch. The palate is medium-bodied with supple, saturated tannins, the fleshy/puppy fat almost disguising the backbone present here. Very persistent on the finish, this is an excellent, luxurious and yet sophisticated Clos de la Roche.

Wine Advocate (94+)

Dujac's 2017 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru is more reserved that the Clos Saint-Denis, unwinding in the glass with scents of red berries, plums, orange rind, cinnamon, peonies and sweet soil tones. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, serious and layered, with muscular structure, lively acids and a long, perfumed finish. While this remains a comparatively accessible, finesse-driven Clos de la Roche, at least a decade's patience will be required to see this begin to realize its potential.

Vinous (97-99)

The 2019 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru has a tightly wound bouquet with beautifully defined red fruit laced with Earl Grey, autumn leaves and a touch of white pepper. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, demonstrating a little more girth and depth than the Clos Saint-Denis. It gently builds to a spicy and tensile finish, lingering peppery notes ensuring that you will not forget it in a hurry. Every vine that contributed fruit to this wine deserves a big shiny medal.

Jasper Morris Inside Burgundy (96-98)

(5-Star Wine) Fractionally denser in colour than Clos St-Denis with a meatier bouquet, some blood orange as well as the traditional blueberry of this vineyard. A little white pepper comes up. This is brilliantly complete, no feeling of a lighter vintage, with superb grace at the finish. Ripe alpine strawberries. 76% whole bunches. Drink from 2030-2038.

Jeb Dunnuck (96-99)

From a miniscule one-hectare parcel right across from Clinet, on the upper plateau of Pomerol, the 2018 Enclos Tourmaline is a blockbuster in the making, and I suspect it’s going to give the 2016 a run for its money. Checking in as a 100% Merlot raised in new oak, which hit 14.7% natural alcohol, this inky color blockbuster boasts a massive bouquet of black fruits, smoke herbs, chocolate, and damp earth. It shows a more floral edge with time in the glass and it’s full-bodied, concentrated, and plush on the palate, with sweet tannins. It’s certainly one of the sexiest wines in this terrific vintage. Hats off to vineyard manager and winemaker Jérôme Aguirre as well as consultant Michel Rolland for another brilliant wine in the making. Tasted twice.

Jeb Dunnuck (95-98)

There's not much of the 2019 Enclos Tourmaline made, but it's a sensational wine in the making. Coming from a tiny one-hectare parcel next to Clinet, this inky purple-hued effort offers a wonderfully complex, vibrant bouquet of black raspberries, crème de cassis, licorice, toasted spices, and classy oak. Full-bodied, pure, and elegant, yet powerful on the palate, it has good acidity, remarkable purity (there's no overripeness here), sound underlying structure, and a great finish. It’s another brilliant, heavenly Pomerol from 2019.