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Reviews

99 -James Suckling -

Extremely complex and subtle with blackberries, wild forest fruits, orange peel, bark and mushroom on the nose. Perfumed. Full-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that are polished and extremely long, going on for minutes. Structured and layered yet compressed on the finish. Some terra-cotta and stoney undertones. This shows old-vine character and the essence of 85% merlot and 15% cabernet franc. Give this three or four years in bottle, but it’s surprisingly attractive now.

96 -Jane Anson -

Carved, precise and energetic, I described this as intellectual during En Primeur, and I stand by that assessment now. Waves of cloves and liqourice root, fine tannins, blueberry, redcurrant, tobacco, red rose petals, blackberry, mandarin zest, slate minerality. This can be approached earlier than many L’Eglise Clinet, maybe 7 or 8 years after harvest, but it will still be revealing new facets after 15 or 20 years. Harvest September 27 to 29, no chaptilisation, 75% new oak.

96 -Decanter -

A dark, serious brooding nose full of black fruits, truffle, rose, violet and dark chocolate. The palate is different however giving succulent and lively red fruits - sweet/sour strawberries and red cherries, so fresh and sincere, so perfectly presented with the bitter touches balanced against sweetness, racy acidity and fine tannins. An easy-to-like wine, with personality and style and just a feeling of pure joy about it! Not rich, heavy or opulent but taking the most joyous elements from the vintage and putting them the glass, still with structure and depth! Ageing in 70% new oak.

96 -Vinous -

The 2021 L’Eglise-Clinet is stellar. Dark, dense and also a touch somber, the 2021 is laced with generous black fruit, gravel, spice, new leather, licorice and incense. Readers will have to give this time to come together. I especially admire its substance, textural resonance and overall balance. Readers lucky enough to own the 2021 can look forward to years of exceptional drinking once the tannins soften a bit.

96 -Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider -

Elegance, freshness, refinement, and concentrated, layers of plums, black cherries, chocolate, flowers, wet earth, along with a hint of espresso come together in the nose, and on the palate. There is ample depth, vibrancy, freshness, and complexity with a chalky edge to the finish that wraps everything up perfectly. The wine blends 85% Merlot, and 15% Cabernet Franc. It is great to see continuing strong wines from the Durantou family. This gem is one of the wines of the vintage, and not much was produced. If this is your thing, grab it now! Drink from 2026-2055.

95 -The Wine Independent -

A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, L’Eglise-Clinet 2021 was aged in 75% new oak. It has a deep garnet-purple color and strides confidently out of the glass with bold notes of juicy black plums, Morello cherries, and wild blueberries, plus suggestions of licorice, violets, and wet slate. The medium-bodied palate has a plush texture and bags of freshness framing the bright, expressive black and red berry flavors, finishing long with a spicy lift. Beautiful!

94 -Robert Parker's Wine Advocate -

The 2021 L'Eglise Clinet is one of the more muscular, powerful wines of the vintage, unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berries, incense, licorice, spices and toasty new oak. Medium to full-bodied, with a broad attack that segues into a mid-palate framed by ripe, powdery, richly extracted tannins, it's a dense, youthfully introverted Pomerol that's defined more by its terroir and winemaking than it is by the vintage.

94 -Jeb Dunnuck -

The flagship 2021 Château L'Eglise Clinet brings another level of concentration and depth, with ripe red and black plum fruits intermixed with notions of damp earth, tobacco leaf, graphite, and violets. Medium to full-bodied, with rock-solid mid-palate density, sweet tannins, and the vintage's fresher, focused, elegant style, it brings plenty of fruit and I'd wager is clearly better than the vast majority of vintages from the 1980s and 1990s, and even many of the 2000s. I was able to follow this bottle for multiple days, and it only got better with air. This will be absolutely loved by the traditionalists out there and plays with the crème de la crème of the vintage. The blend of the 2021 is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc (Noëmie commented that the Cabernet Franc was the standout in the vintage) that was raised in 75% new French oak, which is perfectly integrated. Give bottles just 2-4 years if you can (it already offers pleasure) and enjoy over the following two decades.

Technical Details

Blend 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc
Winemaker Olivier Gautrot with Noemie and Constance 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-steel vats
Aging / Cooperage 70% new French oak for 15 to 18 months
Alcohol 14%
Production 3,850 cases

Château L'Église-Clinet Pomerol 2021

Name: Château L'Église-Clinet Pomerol 2021
Brand: First Bottle
SKU: 1014848
Price: 149.95 USD
Availability: InStock

Bordeaux Blends | Bordeaux

JS99, JA96, DC96, VN96, JL96, TWI95, WA94, JD94

Organic fertilization only, every 5 years

$300.00

$149.95

750ML

50% OFF RETAIL!

Noëmie and Constance Durantou have carried L’Église-Clinet forward following the passing of their father Denis in May 2020, and the 2021 is a wine that speaks both to their father’s legacy and to their own confident hand. A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, aged in 75% new oak, the 2021 is one of the most muscular and powerful wines the estate has produced, defined more by its terroir and extraordinary winemaking than by the vintage’s generally lighter character. James Suckling awarded 99, describing a wine that shows the essence of old-vine Merlot and Cabernet Franc with perfumed character, structured layers, and stony, terracotta undertones compressed on the finish. James Anson awarded 96, Decanter 96, Vinous 96, James Lawther 96, TWI 95, Wine Advocate 94, and Jeb Dunnuck 94. Antonio Galloni described it as a spherical, sensual Pomerol of uncommon depth and intensity, noting crème de cassis, chocolate, new leather, spice, menthol, and licorice. This is L’Église-Clinet defined by the terroir rather than the year, and it is built for a very long life. The price is exceptional. These are very limited. Act on it.

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

$149.95

750ML

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