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Château Clinet

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Address: Chemin de Feytit, 33500 Pomerol

Telephone: +33 (0)5 57 25 50 00

E-mail: contact@chateauclinet.com

Website: www.chateauclinet.com

Château Clinet is extremely well known and located on the Pomerol plateau. It doesn’t come cheap – not that there is a bargain basement section in this pricey appellation – but you do get a wonderfully hedonistic and opulent wine for your money. The 2009 and 2010 are almost flashy but have lovely depth and structure. They are quite superb. Second wine here is Fleur de Clinet.

Vineyard/Terrior: 8.64 hectares on deep clay planted with 85% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Winemaking/Elevage: Aged for 18-22 months in barrel, 70% new and 30% one year old.

Tasting notes:

  • 2015 Ripe and saturated look; lovely pure, plummy fruit; pure and precise; creamy; ripe and full on the palate this wine has plenty of fruit and extract and is very concentrated; plenty of matter and gravity here; depth and chew on the finish. Excellent length and grip. Tightly coiled on the palate. Tremendous Clinet. [90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc, 14.3% alc]. Tasted UGCB 6/4/16. Drink 2023-2035. 95-97+
  • 2014 Deep and saturated looking; vibrant purple at edge; deep in centre; ripe and glossy aromatics; jam, cassis and ripe black plums; extract on the palate but attractive texture; tighter than many; lots of extract and texture but focused; Grip and acidity on the finish. Sublimated texture but also quite tight. Should be excellent. [90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc, 13.5% alc]. Tasted 1st April ’15. Drink 2022-2032. 92-94
  • 2013 Deep and thick; dark at centre; little dumb at first; depth clearly but lacks expression; some sweetness and density; obvious material and sap here and palate not too dry; still needs to settle. Has depth but lacks expression. [90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc]. Drink 2018-2026. Tasted UGCB April 2, 2014. 88-90.
  • 2012 Mid depth; glossy looking; satiny quality to the aromatics with layers; real delicacy on the palate; nicely polished; good length. Little reticent for Clinet. Nicely composed. Drink 2017-2027. 91+ UGC Oct ’14 [Earlier note] Deep and dark; colour tight to the rim; tight but clearly very deep on the nose; serious, not its usual flattering self; layers here which show themselves on aeration but this is a pretty dense Clinet. Lots of depth on the palate and structure too. Pretty formidable effort. Excellent length. 90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Cabernet Franc. 93-95+ UGC 10 April, 2013.
  • 2011 Deep and saturated look; intense, ripe blackcurrant tones, ‘cool’ fruit tones; ripe palate; rich with some succulence; a very good effort in the circumstances. Chew on the finish. Very good. Drink 2014-2026. 92+ UGC Oct ’13  [Earlier note] Deep and dense; strawberry red fruits, more layered, bit flashy and worked but very plummy aromas with spices; satiny palate as usually, layers and nice fruit; classy and good effort [as usual] in the typically seductive and modern Clinet style. Tasted UGC 4/4/12. 91-93+ UGC Aprtil 2012
  • 2010 Deep and saturated looking; colour tight to the rim; very sublimated and intense; lifted plum and spice tones; very attractive; brimming with creamy ripe fruit on the palate but good depth and not at all loose; inky and intense finish. Wow! Needs more time to show its best. Drink 2017-2035. 96+ MW Institute Nov ’14 [Earlier note] Deep and arterial; sexy, savoury nose with black fruits’ very deep; lost of spicy notes; lots of sweet extract and material on the plate; lush to begin with then comes the structure and the grip. Lots of elements. Not as satiny as ’09. More tannic with a big frame beneath the lush fruit. 94 UGC Oct 2012 [Earlier] Deep and saturated, lovely silky, satiny and seductive nose, perfumed with violets, very attractive; quite forward on the nose – sublimated creamy wine, quite satiny and velvety on the palate too but with extract and concentration giving tannin and grip. Very good. Great length and intensity. The equal of 2009 but stronger in style but a shade less flamboyant. 94-96+/100 [85% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc, alc 14.5%] 6 April 2011 UGC
  • 2009 Deep and arterial; really saturated; inky and saturated aromas, less overt than shortly after bottling but clearly full; plush palate, rich and seductive; fleshy and very fresh. Lots of extract and grip with more chew than before, clearly this filling out. It feels bigger and more structured than before. Pretty dramatic effort but the fruit is dazzling and not at all plodding. Needs time now. 2017-2030. 95+ MW Institute Nov ’13.  [Earlier note] Black and saturated in the glass; more lift and delicacy; lots of complexity on the nose; black fruits but some lift; very overt and showy; mocha and espresso notes too; creamy, ripe and full palate; wonderful density; such ripeness and material; real saturation but not chewy; quite delicious; far too much of a good thing!  97+/100 UGC 2011 [Earlier] Mid depth; deep; very perfumed and attractive nose; plums, spice and lovely oak; red fruits too; seductive; Palate round and generous; big and bold but tannin extraction well done here. This is excellent. Some coffee on the finish. [Later] Very ripe nose; almost like the Petit Village; attractive; sweet, fragrant and seductive; excellent; red fruits, plums; very sublime palate, pretty spicy. Tannins nicely done. Wonderfully seductive wine. 95+/100 [85% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon – 14% degrees]. Tasted 31st March 2010.
  • 2008 Deep and saturated; red fruits and sexy oak, mocha and appealing  decadence here but without veering towards the plodding, often overdone St Emilion style; glossy palate, very sublimated feel but still managed to feel fleet of foot. 93+ MW Institute Nov 2012 [Earlier] Intense colour, close up to edge; quite fresh and some minerality on the nose then lots of oak resin; intense and lifted; plums; dense palate with minerals and quite structured – great stuff here; lots of guts and material. Not as fab as Clinet’s marvellous 2009 but a pretty impressive effort nevertheless. 92-94+/100 UGC Oct 2010
  • 2007 Deep and saturated look; blackcurrant and cassis; fresh and uncluttered; depth too; blackcurrants and cassis on the palate too with some chocolate but not tired or seemingly overworked; fresh. Chewy on the finish. Good effort. 91+/100 MW Institute Nov ’11 [Earlier] Mid red; less purple than the Gazin; soft, attractive nose, some sweetness; nicely perfumed; perfumed palate with medium weight; lacks a bit of depth and chew but quite fine. 88+/100 UGC Oct ’09.
  • 2006 Real density in the glass; quite saturated and up to the edge; legs; polished nose with savour and life, some fig and tar but intense and not loose; real precision here and also minerals and wet stone notes too; not as flamboyant as 2009 or 2008 even but pent up and layered; palate quite lush, lots of fruit, some extraction and intensity but doesn’t feel too forced. Bit of a sleeper which needs a few more years. Some grip and bite at the end. Excellent 93+/100 MW Institute Nov ’10.

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