Benchmark Wine Cellar
l`Eglise Clinet 1998
The Winery
L’Eglise Clinet
“L'Eglise-Clinet must be the sleeper chateau of the century! Unfortunately, the small production has ensured that few people have ever tasted this wine.”
–Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate
As one of the smaller leading producers of the Pomerol appellation of Bordeaux, Château L'Église-Clinet has become extremely prestigious in more recent vintages thanks to praise from esteemed wine critics. The 11 acre estate produces only around 1500 cases of wine per year, with half of their vines being 50 years old. Since 1983, Winemaker Denis Durantou took over and has assisted L'Eglise-Clinet’s rise to prominence.
Summary
Château L’Eglise-Clinet 1998 is a distinguished Pomerol crafted from approximately 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, grown on a tiny estate of 4.5 hectares. The wine is noted for its exquisite bouquet, showcasing an array of aromas including red cherries, cassis, and violets, enriched with earthy notes and a hint of cedar. On the palate, it offers a full-bodied experience characterized by ripe tannins and a complex interplay of blackberry and wild strawberry flavors, accented by spices like white pepper and traces of black truffle. The wine's elegant structure and harmonious balance suggest it has reached an ideal drinking point while still possessing the potential for decades of enjoyment.
Tasting Notes
- WS97
- Aromas of dark chocolate and blackberry, with hints of black olives. Full-bodied, with chewy, polished tannins and loads of ripe fruit, tapenade and flowers. A complex and complete wine. Still needs time. One of the best ever from here.--`88/`98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2010.
- WA96
- The Château l`Eglise-Clinet 1998 has developed an absolutely stunning bouquet: precocious, glycerin-rich red cherries, cassis, violets and minerals all beautifully defined and so intense. The palate is full-bodied with ripe tannin, layers of sweet blackberry and wild strawberry fruit intermingling with white pepper, cumin, black truffle and tar. There is a crescendo towards the finish that just fans out across the mouth. After 17 years (which makes me feel old, as I remember tasting it from barrel), it is a Pomerol that will take on all comers in the appellation with the exception of the 1998 Petrus. It will give 40-50 years worth of drinking pleasure. Tasted March 2015.
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