Clinet - Pomerol 2014

Vinous

90

byNeal Martinthe4/2/2024

The 2014 Clinet is a vintage that I have never warmed to ever since I first tasted it from barrel. Bottles have since vindicated my tepid reception. It doesn't quite click into fifth gear on the nose. It's a bit austere, and I still believe there's just a touch of Brettanomyces. Perhaps that is subduing the fruit? The palate is medium-bodied with straightforward red fruit, drier than expected, with some chewiness towards the structured finish. Still, it lacks the charm that is surfeit among other vintages of Clinet. Not my favorite. Tasted at Bordeaux Index's 10-Year-On tasting.

Vinous

90

byNeal Martinthe3/28/2018

The 2014 Clinet is a wine that left me "perplexed" when I tasted it multiple times both from barrel and in bottle. The litmus test is how it shows blind... Here it has a lifted bouquet with truffle and smoke-infused red fruit, a subtle hickory note coming through with aeration. One or two attendees at the tasting suggested brettanomyces. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly chewy tannin, spicy in the mouth with a dash of white pepper towards the firm, quite masculine and angular finish. Two bottles tasted with consistent notes. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

Jeb DUNNUCK

93

byJeb Dunnuckthe11/30/2017

Wine Advocate

91

byNeal Martinthe3/31/2017

The 2014 Clinet was a wine that perplexed when I tasted it from barrel and as a consequence, it was one that I went back and retasted three or four times during that primeur campaign. Now in bottle, the bouquet has improved and developed more fruit concentration, armed with red plum, wild strawberry and blueberry scents. The palate is medium-bodied and quite refined, certainly not as opulent as other vintages from the estate, perhaps just missing a persistence on the angular finish. It is not a bad Clinet by a long stretch, it just feels a little constricted, especially compared to say the 2010 or 2015. I tasted this on three occasions, drawing the same conclusion each time.

Jamessuckling.com

94

byJames Sucklingthe2/16/2017

A tight and subtle wine with very pretty ripe-fruit character and chocolate. Medium to full body. Needs time to open. Better in 2020.

Vinous

94

byAntonio Gallonithe2/6/2017

The 2014 Clinet is powerful, deep and enveloping. Black cherry, smoke, graphite, chocolate and French oak give the wine its intensity and gravitas. Hints of lavender and violet develop in the glass, adding lovely aromatic nuance, but the 2014 remains a big, imposing wine in need of cellaring. This is impressive juice. Tasted two times. 94+

Wine Spectator

92

byJames Molesworththe1/11/2017

Dark in profile, featuring a steeped core of fig and blackberry fruit that melds with roasted apple wood and ganache notes through the finish. Best from 2020 through 2035.— J.M.

Le Point

14

byJacques Dupontthe5/21/2015

Fruité mûr, de la chair, bien juteux, tanins vifs, note amère agréable, bon fond de vin, boisé frais. 

Vinous

92-95

byAntonio Gallonithe5/11/2015

The 2014 Clinet is striking. Energetic, tense and wiry, the 2014 jumps from the glass with notable intensity. The tannins are quite evident, as is the acidity, but there is a level of harmony here that is impossible to miss. Red currant, sweet red cherry, tobacco, smoke and white pepper add nuance on the pulsating finish. I imagine the 2014 is going to require quite a bit of time, but it is compelling, even at this early stage. The 2014 is 90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc that saw 30+ days on the skins in small lot fermenters, with manual punch-downs. Malolactic fermentation took place in barrel. This is a fabulous showing from Clinet and proprietor Ronan Laborde.

The Wine Cellar Insider

90-93

byJeff Levethe5/5/2015

A distinctive nose pops with blossoms, cherry, black raspberry and espresso scents. Finesse styled with an emphasis on freshness, purity, crispness and gently ripened red and black fruit. A complicated twist of cocoa in the finish adds to the intrigue. From a blend of 90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc, the wine reached 13.5% alcohol and is aging in 60% new, French oak barrels. 90-93 Pts

Wine Advocate

89-91

byNeal Martinthe4/30/2015

The Château Clinet 2014 is a blend of 90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc picked from 23 to 30 September, 3 October for the old Merlot vines and 8 October with respect Cabernets. It was cropped at 40 hectoliters per hectare and matured in 60% new barrels and 40% second fill. It has a well-defined bouquet, quite stony compared to more fruit-driven Pomerol 14's, scents of gravel percolating through the light blackberry and boysenberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with quite firm, slightly abrasive tannin at the moment that will hopefully be abraded during its barrel age. It feels a little attenuated on the finish and you feel taken aback by the lack of its usual concentration and flamboyance on the finish. Interestingly a second sample (at the UGC) showed more cohesion and weight on the finish vis to the sample at the château. Ronan Laborde has produced some truly wonderful wines at Clinet in recent years, but I need convincing that the 2014 will join their ranks. I will hopefully re-taste this later during its barrel maturation and report back.

Asian Palate

90

byJeannie Cho Lee MWthe4/20/2015

Subtle, classic Pomerol with no rough edges. Round, plummy fruit with hint of spices and violets. A solid vintage for Clinet with good finish.

Decanter.com

16,75

byJames Lawther MWthe4/17/2015

Creamy, dark fruit aroma and flavour. Palate juicy and fresh. Persistent but hard finish. Extraction just a little too pushed. Drink: 2020-2032 (89)

Jancis Robinson

15,5

byJancis Robinsonthe4/14/2015

Overripe notes on the nose. A little dull on the palate. Very stolid and without any real pace and direction. Drink 2022-2032 (15.5+)

Jamessuckling.com

91-92

byJames Sucklingthe4/10/2015

This is layered and intense with mineral, chalk, berry and olive character. Full, very fine and refined. Tight. Let’s see.

timatkin.com

93

byTim Atkin MWthe4/7/2015

René Gabriel

17

byRené Gabrielthe4/1/2015

90 % Merlot, 9 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 1 % Cabernet Franc. Sattes Purpur-Granat, dicht in der Mitte, lila Schimmer aussen. Heidelbeeren und Cassis im aromatischen, aber auch etwas schlanken Nasenansatz zeigend. Im Gaumen noch aromatischer als in der Nase, extrem viel Cassis und von der Aromatik her sehr frisch und präzise, aromatisches Finale. Für 18/20 fehlt ihm vielleicht eine Nuance Fleisch und auch etwas Fett. Aber Spass machen wird er auf alle Fälle und er hat auch ein recht gutes Alterungspotential. 17/20 2020 – 2037

Wine Spectator

91-94

byJames Molesworththe3/31/2015

The lush raspberry and plum fruit flavors are lined with an ample but velvety structure, leading to a long, spice-infused finish. Ripe but not overdone, this is sure tobe a head-turner.