Château l'Eglise Clinet

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

92 / 100

par Stephen Tanzer le 30/08/2010

Bright ruby-red. Black raspberry, licorice, mocha and a whiff of sweet butter on the nose. Wonderfully intense and juicy, with sappy flavors of dark berries, violet and minerals. Combines lovely sweetness with terrific verve. Perhaps best today on the broad, sweet, impressively long finish, which features very fine-grained tannins. Not the richest or most powerful version of this wine, but a beauty.

Wine Advocate

94 / 100

par Robert Parker le 30/04/2010

Unquestionably the Pomerol of the vintage, the dense purple-colored 2007 l’Eglise-Clinet offers an astonishing display of rich, licorice and caramelinfused kirsch, black raspberry, and cassis fruit. Rich, full-bodied, and pure, with low acidity and ripe tannin, it is already offering delicious drinking, and should continue to do so for 15-20 years. Having just had the 1997, which is not as strong a wine as this 2007, that wine, from a very mediocre vintage, is still young. Kudos to proprietor Denis Durantou. Drink 2010-2030

Wine Spectator

90 / 100

par James Suckling le 06/01/2010

Shows gorgeous aromas of ripe blackberry, tobacco box and flowers. Full-bodied, with velvety tannins and a milk chocolate, toasty oak and berry aftertaste. So attractive now. Wonderfully crafted for the vintage. Best after 2012.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

90-93 / 100

par Stephen Tanzer le 30/06/2008

(an 85/15 blend of merlot and cabernet franc) Bright medium ruby. Lively aromas of black raspberry, coffee, licorice and bitter chocolate. Sweet, sappy and rich; this is stuffed with black fruit, licorice and bitter chocolate flavors, nicely framed and lifted by racy acidity (the pH here is a healthy-for-the-vintage 3.7) and a floral element. Firmly built, spicy and long on the aftertaste. A superb showing.

Falstaff

90-92 / 100

le 30/06/2008

Kräftiges Rubingranat, violette Randaufhellung. In der Nase feine Waldbeer-Kirsch-Noten, zarte Hozwürze, mineralische Nuancen, zart nach kandierten Orangenzesten. Am Gaumen feine Weichselfrucht, sehr frisch, aber auch zart vegetal, zarter Nougat, etwas kantig im Finale, Noten von Röstaromen und Karamell im Nachhall.

Wine Advocate

91-94 / 100

par Robert Parker le 05/05/2008

TAST

18 / 20

le 29/04/2008

Vin de grande densité dans une année où cette caractéristique est plutôt absente, L’Église-Clinet n’en révèle pas moins une texture très fine et veloutée. Avec ce tannin fin et serré et cette fraîcheur fruitée, voilà assurément l’une des stars du millésime sur cette rive.

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

par Neal Martin le 29/04/2008

Harvested between 19th and 26th September, a blend of 85% Merlot and 35% Cabernet Franc. Two samples presented by Denis Durantou, the first made on 28th March. The nose is lacking a little intensity after a few days with blackberry, wild hedgerow, a slight clayey component. The palate shows immense concentration with tense, tightly coiled black fruits and great sense of minerality. The second sample (1st April) has more intensity and lift on the nose, here with more of a damson, mulberry component; more rounded and harmonious in the mouth, the tannins more defined and with a natural sense of balance. Great clarity and focus with a persistent finish of blackcurrant leaf, briary and minerals. Wonderful. Tasted April 2008.

Jancis Robinson

17 / 20

par Jancis Robinson le 14/04/2008

Very dark crimson but it glows. Smouldering nose. Very smooth. Denis Durantou says he ensured the fermentation temperatures were notably low in 2007 to concentrate on the fruit and gentle extraction of tannins. Very sleek. Much cooler than most vintages. Less rich and dramatic – a little bit of tarmacadam. Dry finish. Just a bit too restrained?

Decanter Magazine

18 / 20

le 04/04/2008

There's definitely something more serious here, although the easy charm of the vintage is manifest as well. Has the inner depth and tannic core that many lack in 2007. The fruit and minerality provide a harmonious whole while aromatically there's a complex mix of dark fruit, liquorish and smoky notes. Drink 2014-2028.