Skip to product information
< Continue Shopping

Buy any 6 bottles and get free Ground shipping

Reviews

95 -Vinous -

95 -Robert Parker's Wine Advocate -

95 -Decanter -

92 -Wine Spectator -

Technical Details

  • Blend 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc
  • Winemaker Denis Durentou
  • Country France
  • Region Bordeaux
  • Sub Region Right Bank
  • Appellation Pomerol
  • Vineyard Estate old vines, 25% over 75 years old, average age 40 years
  • Farming Method Organic fertilization only, every 5 years
  • Oak 70% new French oak
  • Fermentation Small, temperature-controlled stainless-stell vats
  • Aging / Cooperage 70% new French oak for 15 to 18 months
  • Alcohol 14%
  • Production 1475 cases

Château L'Église-Clinet Pomerol 2008

Bordeaux Blends | Bordeaux

VN95, WA95, DC95, WS92

Organic fertilization only, every 5 years

$300.00

$189.95

750ML

36% OFF RETAIL!

Denis Durantou, who passed away in 2020 after nearly four decades building L'Église-Clinet into one of Pomerol's most celebrated estates, was described by Robert Parker as "a winemaker's winemaker." He inherited a property with dirt floors, old unclean vats, and no temperature control in the early 1980s, and transformed it into a wine regularly mentioned alongside Pétrus and Lafleur. Today his daughters Noëmie and Constance run the 5.5-hectare estate, honoring his legacy. The 2008 was one of the undersung gems of that vintage, with Vinous, Wine Advocate, and Decanter all awarding 95 points. The blend of 85% Merlot and 15% old-vine Cabernet Franc delivers the opulent, concentrated, aromatic style that defines this address: dark plums, iron, spice, and a silky, endlessly layered texture. Now well into its drinking window and incredibly priced. Grab it while it's here.

About The Producer

The origins of Château L'Église-Clinet trace back to 1803, when Jean Rouchut first acquired vines adjacent to a small cemetery in Pomerol, with the estate taking shape in 1882 when the family expanded through the acquisition of neighboring plots from the Domaine de Clinet. For most of its early history it was a quiet, unremarkable property — until Denis Durantou inherited it and took over operations in 1983. What he found was a cellar in disrepair: dirt floors, aging untempered vats, no temperature control. What followed was one of Pomerol's great transformation stories. Durantou replanted much of the 5.5-hectare vineyard, rebuilt the cellar from the ground up, and within two years began producing wines that drew mounting critical attention through the 1990s. Robert Parker famously called it "the sleeper château of the century," and the wines — concentrated, opulent, and built on some of the plateau's finest blue clay soils — earned comparisons to Pétrus at a fraction of the price. Durantou passed away in May 2020, a genuine loss to the world of Bordeaux, and today the estate is carried forward by his daughters Noémie and Constance Durantou, who are continuing his meticulous, low-intervention approach across the 4.4-hectare cross-shaped vineyard planted to 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. Few estates in Pomerol have earned their reputation as honestly.

$300.00

$189.95

750ML