Château L'Eglise Clinet - Pomerol 1996 6b11bd6ba9341f0271941e7df664d056

Wine Advocate

93 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/1999

One of the few profound Pomerols in 1996, l'Eglise-Clinet turned out an uncommonly rich, concentrated wine that is performing well from bottle, even though it is displaying a more tightly-knit structure than it did from cask. The dark ruby/purple color is followed by notes of charcoal, jammy cassis, raspberries, and a touch of sur-maturite. Spicy oak emerges as the wine sits in the glass. It is fat, concentrated, and medium to full-bodied, with a layered, multidimensional, highly nuanced personality. This muscular Pomerol will require 3-5 years of bottle age. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2020.

Wine Spectator

90 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/30/1999

A solid and steely Pomerol with impressive richness for the vintage. Plenty of blackberry and cherry aromas and flavors and a hint of earth. Full in body, with silky tannins and a caressing finish.--L'Eglise Clinet vertical. Best from 2001 through 2010.

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe2/28/1998

This wine has fleshed out considerably. While it was tasting exceptionally fine in March, 1997, it now appears to be one of the superstars of the Right Bank. Readers can thank proprietor Denis Durantou for the extraordinarily strict selection that produced such an intense Pomerol. The opaque black/purple color is followed by a wine with copious quantities of sweet blackberry and raspberry liqueur-like fruit that soars from the glass. Full-bodied, with extraordinary fruit extraction, this is a large-scaled, broad-shouldered Pomerol with enough tannin to ensure 25-30 years of longevity. At present, the fruit dominates the wine, but there is considerable intensity to this 1996, which reveals layers of black fruits, in addition to a subtle dosage of smoky oak and black truffles. This large-scaled, massive L'Eglise-Clinet should be at its best between 2005-2025.

Wine Advocate

91-93 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe4/30/1997

In a vintage that produced only a handful of outstanding efforts in Pomerol, L'Eglise-Clinet is again one of that appellation's stars. No, it is not as hedonistic, succulent, or concentrated as the superb 1995, but it is a lush, medium to full-bodied, well-proportioned wine that is more laid-back than its exuberant older sibling. Proprietor Denis Durantou made an exceptionally strict selection in 1996, resulting in half the normal production. The color is an opaque purple. The wine reveals tell-tale kirsch, black-raspberry, and cherry jam scents intertwined with subtle toasty oak as well as a notion of black truffles. Rich and layered, with medium body, this wine possesses more noticeable tannin, structure, and intensity than the 1995, with the wine's terrific purity and fruit concentration dominating the wood and easily counter-balancing the wine's tannin. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020.