Eglise Clinet - Pomerol 2018

Vinous

98

byAntonio Gallonithe3/31/2021

The 2018 L'Eglise-Clinet is insanely beautiful and vivid, not to mention one of the wines of the vintage on the Right Bank. Vertical and explosive in feel, the 2018 is rapturous from the very first taste. Inky dark red and purplish fruit, mocha, lavender, crushed rocks and rose petal are some of the many aromas and flavors that build through to the exceptionally long, vibrant finish. But L'Eglise-Clinet is so much more than that. It's a Pomerol of tremendous distinction and class. Give it a few years in bottle and then enjoy over the next several decades.

Wine Advocate

98

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe3/31/2021

A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 L'Eglise Clinet has a 3.63 pH and 14.5% alcohol. It was aged in 70% new barriques. Deep garnet-purple in color, it opens with a stunning fragrant-earth perfume, accented by notions of wild mushrooms, mossy tree bark and crushed rocks, giving way to a core of black raspberries, plum preserves and fresh blueberries, plus wafts of lavender and clove oil. Medium to full-bodied, the palate shimmers with energy, delivering slow-releasing black fruit and earthy layers, framed by very ripe, finely grained tannins and fantastic tension. It finishes with epic length and subtlety. It is already so evocative and beautifully expressed at this youthful stage that is tempting to broach straight away, but give it another 5-6 years to really fan its feathers, and drink it over the next 40 or more years.

Jeb DUNNUCK

99

byJeb Dunnuckthe3/16/2021

One of the blockbusters in the vintage is Denis Durantou's 2018 Château L'Eglise Clinet, which is a normal blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc brought up in 70% new French oak. This deep purple-hued beauty boasts an awesome, full-bodied, opulent personality as well as classic Pomerol notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, damp earth, chocolate, tobacco, and flowers. Rich, concentrated, and sexy, yet not over the top in any way, it expands on the palate, has sweet tannins, background oak, and a great, great finish. It already offers pleasure yet won't hit prime time for another 7-8 years and is going to evolve for 25-30 years or more, and probably have a gradual decline after that.

The Wine Cellar Insider

98

byJeff Levethe3/16/2021

With a serious depth of color, this hedonistic thrill ride opens with an aromatic display of truffle, flowers, dark chocolate, herbs, black cherries and plum. Plush, opulent, rich and with the texture of silk and velvet, the wine coats your palate with layers of fresh, sensuous, perfectly ripe fruits, chocolate and truffle. This full-bodied wine is only going to get better with age. If you can wait a decade, this will be even better. The wine blends 90% Merlot with 10% Cabernet Franc

Vinous

97

byNeal Martinthe3/12/2021

The 2018 L’Eglise-Clinet was picked from September 18 to 26 for the Merlot and September 28 for the the Cabernet Franc, and matured in 70% new oak. I gave the bottle a precautionary four-hour decant, which was vital in appreciating this magnificent Pomerol. The aromatics are precocious, pure and finely chiseled, featuring copious black plum and blueberry plus heart-melting violet petal scents. The palate closely approximates the barrel sample with its stunning precision and symmetry. Velvety-smooth from start to finish, this will turn into a fabulous wine from the late Denis Durantou, though be warned: I suspect it might close down for a period after bottling.

Jamessuckling.com

99

byJames Sucklingthe1/26/2021

Incredible purity of fruit here with blackberry, black olive, concrete, stone and violet in the nose. It’s full-bodied with a powerful palate of fruit that shows a wet-earth and black-truffle undertone. The tannins are intense and chewy, yet wonderfully polished and poised. Superb length in the finish. One built for long cellaring. Try after 2027.

Vinous

97-98

byNeal Martinthe11/15/2019

The 2018 L’Eglise-Clinet was picked from 18 to 26 September for the Merlot, the Cabernet Franc picked on 28 September, matured in 70% new oak. It has a deep limpid purple colour. It has a captivating, gorgeous black cherry, raspberry and blueberry scented bouquet with touches of iodine and incense. The palate is medium-bodied with filigree tannin and pitch perfect acidity. There is a compelling symmetry and precision about this L’Eglise-Clinet with wonderful sapidity towards the finish that fans out with blackberry and boysenberry fruit. Simply a class act, and perhaps one of the most profound expressions of terroir that you will find on the Right Bank this year.

WeinWisser

19,5

byTjark Witzgallthe5/7/2019

Bettane & Desseauve

96

by Bettane & Desseauvethe5/3/2019

Ancré dans une expression florale remarquable qui tapisse une fin de bouche où domine la violette, ce 2018 gagne en charme au fil de l’aération. Sa structure satinée intense que l’on sent dès le toucher de tannin est déjà parfaitement en place.

Vinous

95-98

byAntonio Gallonithe5/3/2019

The 2018 L'Eglise-Clinet is a powerful, tightly wound wine. In fact, it is one of the most reticent Pomerols I tasted, which makes it hard to evaluate today but probably bodes extremely well for the future. Dark and brooding in the glass, the 2018 has too much to offer. A wine of real gravitas and power, the 2018 is likely to need the better part of the next decade to open up, and even that probably won't be enough. Spice, leather, lavender, rose petal and tobacco gradually develop in the glass, but what really comes through is the sheer depth and intensity of the year.

Jeb DUNNUCK

96-98

byJeb Dunnuckthe5/1/2019

One of the true “wow” wines in the vintage, the 2018 Château l'Eglise-Clinet is a blockbuster offering stunning notes of black currants, roasted herbs, truffle, earth, and graphite. It's a ripe, voluptuous, and incredibly opulent wine that has full-bodied richness, no hard edges, silky tannins, and gorgeous length. The blend is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, all harvest in September, and raised in 70% new oak. It has remarkable purity, as well as balance, and will benefit from 5-6 years of bottle age and evolve for two decades or more.

Vinifera

96-98

byJacques Perrinthe5/1/2019

Grand corps majestueux doté d'une chair expansive, qui repose sur une très belle assise tannique. Très longue finale. C'est vraiment la main de fer dans un gant de velours.
Une des très grandes réussites de la propriété !   

The Wine Cellar Insider

96-98

byJeff Levethe4/23/2019

Dark in color, the wine is full bodied, fleshy, concentrated, opulent and tannic. The truffle, violets, black cherry and cocoa are captivating and when it flows over the palate this wine is beautifully empowered by a thick garland of flamboyant ripe berries. Made from blending 90% Merlot and 10% ( you left out the grape), the wine reached 14.5% alcohol and is aging in 70% new, French oak. The harvest took place September 18 to September 28.

Wine Advocate

96-98

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe4/23/2019

Maintaining freshness in the wine was a priority for Denis Durantou at L’Eglise Clinet. “The pH developed quite quickly,” he said. “We had to test it every day; we had made a conscious decision to pick before it got too high. At a maximum of 3.7 pH, we pick. As soon as we have an evolution—a flavor change—we decide to pick.” Merlot was picked September 18-26 and Cabernet Franc on September 28. The resulting wine has a 3.63 pH and 14.5% alcohol and will be aged in 70% new barriques. A blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 L'Eglise Clinet is deep purple-black in color and opens with beguiling truffles, forest floor, mossy bark and black tea scents, slowly unfurling to reveal a core of Black Forest cake, plum preserves, licorice and candied violets plus wafts of tar and cast iron pan. Full-bodied, concentrated and jam-packed with muscular fruit, the velvety-textured palate delivers layer upon layer of savory and earthy accents, finishing with a lingering mineral lift.

Jamessuckling.com

99-100

byJames Sucklingthe4/12/2019

This is incredibly powerful with fantastic depth and length. It goes on for minutes. Full-bodied yet so tight and intense. Blackberries and hints of spice. It has such energy and persistence. It is a wine that makes you really reflect. Bravo. Tiny production.

Jean-Marc QUARIN

97

byJean-Marc Quarinthe4/8/2019

Wine Spectator

95-98

byJames Molesworththe4/3/2019

Lush in feel, with boysenberry reduction and crushed plum flavors, carried by a polished, solid structure. A mineral hint filters through on the finish, adding length and cut.

Decanter.com

97

byJane Ansonthe3/28/2019

This is rich, with layers upon layers of black chocolate, ripe fleshy blackberries and raspberries tempered by acidity and tannins that support, pushing the entire palate slowly onwards and upwards. It has all the generosity of the vintage but tempered with Durantou's amazing ability to sculpt freshness out of the fruit his vineyards deliver. It’s immensely seductive and powerful with more evident flesh than the 2016 – a wine that’s going to run and run. Drinking Window 2028 - 2040