Château L'Eglise Clinet - Pomerol 2016 b5952cb1c3ab96cb3c8c63cfb3dccaca

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

byJames Molesworththe2/5/2019

This pulls it all together, with a gorgeous core of creamed plum, blackberry and boysenberry confiture notes, laced with singed anise and incense accents and backed by long echoes of anise and black tea. Delivers ample flesh from start to finish, and should easily finish soaking up its toast with some time in the cellar. Best from 2023 through 2038.   –JM

Jamessuckling.com

98 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/4/2019

The depth and beauty in the aromas really draw you in with black truffles, blackberries, crushed stones, violets and other flowers. Black olives, too. Full-bodied, super refined and structured with perfectly manicured tannins and a very, very long finish. It’s full of soul and precision. Take a look after 2024.

Vinous

98 / 100

byNeal Martinthe1/24/2019

The 2016 L’Eglise-Clinet was matured in 80% new oak and bottled in mid-April 2018. Crystal clear in color, it has an equally crystal clear bouquet that is utterly seductive, featuring red cherries, wild strawberry, peony and iris flowers and a hint of bay leaf. You could sit and nose this all day. The balanced palate is medium-bodied and grippy in the mouth, displaying supple tannin and a perfect line of acidity. Again, there is a symmetry about this Pomerol that is utterly beguiling, and the persistence is up there with the very best. Simply put, this is one of the best L’Eglise-Clinet wines I have tasted in recent years. Stunning.

Vinous

98 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe1/21/2019

The 2016 L'Eglise-Clinet is glorious. Rich and ample on the palate, with striking depth, the 2016 has so much to offer. A rush of inky blue/purplish berry fruit, lavender, menthol and exotic spice grace this exquisite wine. The 2016 has tremendous richness a concentration, and yet is not ready to show all of its cards yet. Even so, the purity of flavors is simply tremendous. I will not be surprised if the 2016 turns out to be even better than this note suggests. At this stage, though, it is quite clearly one of the wines the vintage. This is a fabulous showing from Denis Durantou.

Wine Advocate

98 / 100

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe11/30/2018

The 2016 L'Eglise Clinet has a medium to deep garnet-purple color with aromas of warm black cherries, mulberries and Black Forest cake slipping seductively from the glass plus nuances of rose hip tea, baking spices, fragrant soil and fallen leaves. Medium to full-bodied, it's wonderfully elegant in the mouth with fantastically plush tannins and seamless freshness, finishing very long and very perfumed. Beautiful!

La Revue du Vin de France

19 / 20

the9/3/2018

La puissance est latente, rien n'est forcé : une richesse et un potentiel énorme mais beaucoup d'élan et de fraîcheur. L'assise est remarquable. La floralité prend place dans le verre, la violette perce derrière la compacité du fruit naissant.  

Wein Wisser

20 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe5/10/2017

Bettane & Desseauve

97-98 / 100

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/3/2017

Nez profond qui fait saliver, on aime cette fraîcheur aromatique ; la bouche est d’un charme fou avec son attaque suave et florale sur l’œillet et la pivoine, et des tannins longs et fondants. Ce vin rayonne en fin de bouche. C’est une nouvelle fois l’une des réussites du millésime dans ce secteur.

Wine Advocate

97-99 / 100

byNeal Martinthe5/2/2017

The 2016 L'Eglise-Clinet is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc picked between 21 September and 4 October for the former and on 6 October for the latter. It was cropped at 43 hectoliters per hectare and matured in 80% new oak, with around 14.2% alcohol. Lucid in color, it has a quintessential L'Eglise-Clinet bouquet with blackberry, raspberry coulis, liquid minerals and hints of iris and incense. The palate is very precise and crisp, some of the finest tannins that you will encounter in Pomerol, tensile right from the beginning, taut and linear with immense precision towards the extended mineral-soaked finish. This is nothing less than a brilliant wine from Denis Durantou, undoubtedly one of the stars of the vintage.

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98 / 100

byJeff Levethe4/27/2017

Blackberry, floral, earth and smoke aromatics get you going. Not a showy wine, this is more of an intellectual experience. Still, there is no denying all the layers of ripe, dark red fruits, lush textures, concentration, richness and density. This will be one of the longest aged wines from Durantou , as it will not show well young, but with proper cellaring there could be more complexity than previous vintages. Blending 90% Merlot, which was picked from September 21 to October 4 and 10% Cabernet Franc, harvested October 6, the wine reached 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.60 and will be aged in 80% new French oak barrels. Showing his typical sense of humor, when asked how many cases were produced, Denis Durantou replied, “too few.” 

Vinous

96-99 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe4/26/2017

The 2016 L'Eglise-Clinet is a magnificent, heart-stopping wine. Deep and expressive, yet with striking translucence, the 2016 simply has it all. Scents of graphite, crushed rocks, blueberry jam, spice, menthol and smoke resonate on the palate with soaring intensity and tremendous richness. Mind blowing in its depth, with tremendous persistence, an extraordinary poise, the 2016 is captivating.

matthewjukes.com

19 / 20

byMatthew Jukesthe4/25/2017

(90 Merlot, 10 Cabernet Franc) | 80% new oak | 14.2% alc. | 43 hl/ha. This is an imposing wine with huge, grainy, blackberry and violet-soaked flavours all backed up with otherworldly tannins and an immense finish. It is so spicy and so dramatic and the freshness on the finish is equal to the exuberance of the fruit and tannin. There is balsamic power here coupled with earthiness, but it is all set against a backdrop of lush fruit. Amazing. 19++

Decanter.com

98 / 100

byJane Ansonthe4/24/2017

We are now levitating somewhere above the rest of Denis Durantou's excellent range. Typical of the incredibly deft and precise way of working that is his signature, this wine brings cinammon and clove then hugely deep, rich dark fruits. Utterly elegant, it completes a circuit around your mouth. This is a physical reaction to a wine that you only get in certain vintages and in very few wines. A great European wine. 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc aged in 80% new oak. 43hl/ha yield from 4.2ha. Drinking Window 2027 - 2050

Jancis Robinson

17,5 / 20

byJancis Robinsonthe4/21/2017

90% Merlot picked 21 September to 4 October (earlier than most), 10% Cabernet Franc picked 6 October. 43 hl/ha. 80% new oak. Deep sultry crimson. Heady. Savoury nose. Meaty flavours and fantastic structure with enough flesh in the middle. Not the sweetest and not as fat as usual but there is drama and depth here. Very long. I think this will come round.

Wine Spectator

94-97 / 100

byJames Molesworththe4/10/2017

A flash of spearmint gives this a fresh feel, while the core of raspberry and boysenberry fruit follows up quickly, carried by lively acidity. The long, fruitcake-filled finish keeps a sense of elegance. Very enticing.—J.M.

Jamessuckling.com

98-99 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/5/2017

This has so much violet and black-olive character to it. It's full-bodied and powerful with incredible power and depth of old-vine tannins. It just rolls on and on. What a finish.