Clinet - Pomerol 2021

Jeb DUNNUCK

93-96

byJeb Dunnuckthe4/4/2024

Coming from a mix of clay and gravelly soils spread across a 10-hectare vineyard and 40-year-old vines, the 2021 Château Clinet is another brilliant success by Ronan Laborde, who continues to make one of the greatest Pomerols out there. A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon (which is a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon for Pomerol), it sports a deep purple hue to go with brilliant notes of blueberries, blackberries, violets, and minty herbs. More medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shows the fresher, elegant style of the vintage yet still brings plenty of mid-palate depth, ripe, velvety tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. It's a stunning success in the vintage that will drink nicely on release yet evolve for 20 years or more.

Vinous

94

byAntonio Gallonithe4/2/2024

The 2021 Clinet is bold, explosive and dense. A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 is a rich and ample wine of tremendous energy and tension. This represents a modern style of Pomerol that will drink well upon release and also age.

Vinous

94

byAntonio Gallonithe2/28/2024

The 2021 Clinet is bold, explosive and dense. A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 is a rich and ample wine of tremendous energy and tension. This represents a modern style of Pomerol that will drink well upon release and also age.

Wine Advocate

92

byWilliam Kelleythe2/22/2024

The 2021 Clinet opens in the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums and licorice mingled with hints of mint and orange zest, followed by a medium to full-bodied palate with a sweet core of fruit that's framed by a chassis of sweet, powdery tannins that assert themselves on the oak-inflected finish. Out of the gates, this remains quite structured by its élevage. 92+

Wine Spectator

91

byJames Molesworththe2/22/2024

A frankly toasted style, with bittersweet cocoa notes draped over a core of black cherry and plum fruit. Reveals tobacco, licorice, roasted cedar and a tug of warm earth through the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2034. 3,850 cases made, 600 cases imported.  –JM

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

94

byJane Ansonthe1/30/2024

Skilfully done, well put together, plenty of black chocolate, smoked pepper and truffle, coming in waves alongside cassis fruits and enticing floral aromatics. This feels sculpted and extremely attactive, but does not entirely escape the vintage, unusually austere for Clinet - give it another four or five years in bottle to really soften. Tasted twice.

matthewjukes.com

18

byMatthew Jukesthe8/2/2022

With a punchy nose of black fruit and cinnamon spice that doesn’t hold back and richness on the palate that is unusual in 2021, this is a very expressive wine and one that will delight those looking for a little more flesh on the bone than the more slender creations. This ebullience calms, and the fruit turns from pure black (Cabernet seems to control the kick-off) to red and black swirls as the finish unravels and the richness subsides into delicious savoury tannins. The finish is not super-long, but it is complete, and it certainly is a classic Clinet in its plushness. The tannins are crisp and dry, and so there is an engine here, too, so do not rush to open this bottle. 18+

Jamessuckling.com

93-94

byJames Sucklingthe6/8/2022

Firm, lightly chewy yet creamy tannins. Savory bark and herb notes. Cloves and licorice, too. Medium body with a polished, lengthy and firm finish. Compact.

Jeb DUNNUCK

93-96

byJeb Dunnuckthe6/2/2022

Coming from a mix of clay and gravelly soils spread across a 10-hectare vineyard and 40-year-old vines, the 2021 Château Clinet is another brilliant success by Ronan Laborde, who continues to make one of the greatest Pomerols out there. A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon (which is a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon for Pomerol), it sports a deep purple hue to go with brilliant notes of blueberries, blackberries, violets, and minty herbs. More medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shows the fresher, elegant style of the vintage yet still brings plenty of mid-palate depth, ripe, velvety tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. It's a stunning success in the vintage that will drink nicely on release yet evolve for 20 years or more.

Bettane & Desseauve

94

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/24/2022

Nez riche de mûre avec des accents épicés, la bouche est sèveuse, onctueuse avec un fruit intense, vin de grande dimension en finale grâce aux 25 % de cabernet-sauvignon. C’est le crooner du millésime.

The Vintage Journal

93-94

byAndrew Caillard MWthe5/17/2022

Deep crimson. Polished dark plum, blackcurrant wood varnish aromas with star anise notes. Well concentrated dark plum, blackcurrant, cedar wood notes, fine supple bittersweet tannins. Firm chestnut finish. Very good use of new oak in the wine. 75% merlot, 25% cabernet sauvignon. 16+ months in new and seasoned oak. 13% alc

Alexandre Ma

94-96

byAlexandre Mathe5/16/2022

This is the kind of concentration I am waiting for, with layers of powdery tannins coating the entire palate, absolutely wonderful; in my opinion, this is the most valuable detail of Pomerol in the vintage of 2021. An intensity like Clinet’s can make the whole body richer and rounder, delivering a sensation of a silky, even milky chocolate melting on the palate. In the lingering aftertaste, this wine doesn't forget leaving us a strand of delicate violet, such amazing. Judging from its current structure and texture, I can conclude that Clinet 2021 will be a Pomerol masterpiece staying around with you for a long journey. ?????????,???????????????,????,????,???2021???????????????Clinet????????????????????,?????????????????????????????????????????????????????,??????,Clinet 2021?????????????????????

The Wine Cellar Insider

93-95

byJeff Levethe5/16/2022

Deeply colored, on the nose you initially find chocolate, flowers, mint, black plums, licorice, espresso, black raspberries, nutmeg and black cherries. Medium-bodied, soft, polished, fresh and silky, with a vibrancy to the ripe, deep, dark red fruits on the mid-palate. There is ample ripe, plums, blueberries and cherries in the refined, chalky finish along with length and vibrancy. The wine is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% AVB. The harvest took place September 27 - October 12. Drink from 2025-2044. 93-95

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

94

byJane Ansonthe5/13/2022

Vinous

92-94

byNeal Martinthe5/12/2022

The 2021 Clinet is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, picked September 27–30 and October 12, respectively, and aged in 80% new oak. It has a well-defined bouquet of blackberry, graphite and light tobacco scents, very Left Bank in style – unsurprisingly, given the contribution of the Cabernet. Medium-bodied and sappy on the midpalate, with pliant tannins and moderate depth, and a lovely touch of black pepper toward the finish. Not a powerful Clinet and certainly far from the style of 15–20 years ago, but there’s a linearity and understatedness about this Pomerol, a freshness that should guarantee it will repay 5–6 years in bottle. This is a very well-crafted Clinet even if I do not rank it as a classic. If it puts on more weight, it may well land at the top of my banded score.

Vinous

92-94

byAntonio Gallonithe5/11/2022

The 2021 Clinet is gorgeous. Soaring Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics lend presence to a deep, beautifully layered Pomerol that gets better and better with time in the glass. I especially admire the vibrancy here. At 25%, the Cabernet Sauvignon is high for Clinet, but it's an approach that works quite well in 2021. This is a fine vintage for Clinet.

vvwine

93-95

byAdrian Van Velsenthe5/10/2022

Sehr dichte Farbe. Betörende Nase, tiefgründig, noch leicht vom Fass geprägt, dahinter eine wunderbar dunkle, reine Frucht, florale Töne, Cassis, ein Gedicht. Im Gaumen kräftig, zeigt Druck, Konzentration, die Tannine sind von höchster Güte, ausgezeichnet die Balance, hier treffen Kraft und Eleganz aufeinander. Vielleicht der schönste Clinet, der mich vor allem mit seinem frischen Stil überzeugt. 2026-2045+ (Verkostet im April 2022. UCGB)

Wine Advocate

93-95

byWilliam Kelleythe4/29/2022

At 75% Merlot and fully 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Clinet contains the highest proportion of Cabernet in the blend (excepting the 2003) since at least the 1980s. Ronan Laborde harvested late, picking into mid-October, to craft a medium to full-bodied, deep and impressively seamless wine evocative of dark berries, baking chocolate, violets and spices. Concentrated and nicely integrated, it is one of the vintage's notable successes.

Decanter.com

95

byGeorgina Hindlethe4/1/2022

An exceptional Clinet in 2021. Richly scented, dark and roguish, a touch of sour cherry and perfume to the nose. Round, supple, generous and vibrant on the palate - this has a lifeforce to it with nuance of red berry flavour and real persistency as well as juicy acidity. I love the upfront nature of this and the really quite vivid and expressive red fruits while the background gives the savoury, menthol, liquorice notes offering depth and wideness - lots of terroir and grape markers in the glass - particularly the high percentage (25%) of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Tannins are firm and supportive with the overall freshness lifting the frame, delivering a full mouthfeel with a density of tannins and black fruit that doesn't dip. Well worked and presented. A touch of wood on the finish but subtle and supportive. You also get the florality all the way through which is just so appealing. Supremely well worked, charming but also confident - I absolutely love it and it clearly stood out every time tasting it - four times in total. 45,000 bottles made, same production as 2020.