The Tb points given to this wine are the world’s most valid and most up-to-date evaluation of the quality of the wine. Tastingbook points are formed by the Tastingbook algorithm which takes into account the wine ratings of the world's best-known professional wine critics, wine ratings by thousands of tastingbook’s professionals and users, the generally recognised vintage quality and reputation of the vineyard and winery. Wine needs at least five professional ratings to get the Tb score. Tastingbook.com is the world's largest wine information service which is an unbiased, non-commercial and free for everyone.
Wine Description
The Story
Château CLINET is one of the most prestigious estates of the Pomerol wine region, set amongst the finest parcels of this well-known plateau. Located 40km to the east of Bordeaux, on the right bank of the Garonne River, its gravelly clay soil makes Pomerol the terroir of the finest Merlots in the world. The natural resources required to produce the exceptional quality of our grapes, simply cannot be reproduced anywhere else on earth.
Successive generations of owners have been producing world-renowned wines here for centuries and, since 1998, it has been the duty and privilege of the Laborde family to perpetuate the highest possible standards, observing the traditions of a strict cultural approach.
In the 1980s Jean-Michel Arcaute married Clinet's proprietor George Audy's daughter and by 1986 Jean Michel was running the property. He engaged the services of cult oenologist Michel Rolland, who introduced much later harvesting, ensuring super-ripe fruit, as well as extending the amount of time the wines spent in 100% new oak barriques.
Clinet produces a wine which is concentrated and rich but is supremely well balanced with a finish that lasts and lasts. It is hard to resist when young, yet the wines from the best vintages will continue to improve for over 10 years. Jean-Michel Arcaute was tragically killed in a boating accident in 2001.
Wine Information
After a cold winter, spring was mild and rainy. The flowering took place later than in 1999 and produced high quantities of grapes. Although these inclement weather conditions, the flowering has been good and homogenous. A severe drought put a strain on water from the 29th July. It has only rained one day within two months! Thanks to the clemency of the weather, ripening occurred in the best possible conditions, concentrating a high level of tannins on the skins. That explains the high concentration of the wines.
Harvesting took place at the end of September, under perfect weather. Fermentation lasted for 5 weeks, with cold maceration and low pump overs. 2000 is a great vintage. The wine is full-bodied, pure, sweet and dense, and has an outstanding freshness. It has a great aging potential (20-25 years!), but may reach its optimum quality from 2007.
Vintage 2000
BORDEAUX 2000 – A DREAM VINTAGE
Weather conditions / Vintage 2000 has from the very start been proclaimed as one of the best vintages of modern times. In spring 2003, I've had many opportunities to find out, if we really have a true dream vintage in our hands.
During harvest 2000, while doing "personal inspection" in the vineyards, I noticed that something extraordinary big was on its way. Grapes looked extremely healthy.
While sorting table was rolling, I observed, that there were few leaves, stalks and weeds among the grapes. That's why sorting out grapes went so easy and quick. It must be one of hallmarks of 2000 vintage, because normally even the great vintages require a lot of work at sorting table.
2000 vintage is classic, extravagant and extremely long-lived Bordeaux with dark, extremely dense wines, which have enormous concentration of fruit, length and superbly concentrated tannin. The tannin is not allowed to dominate, because it's well wrapped up by fruit. A scent of sub-maturity is only present in few wines. One of this vintage's trademarks is an intense and deep aroma of dark berries, like blueberries, blackberries and black cherries.
All red grape varieties reached perfect maturity, including Bordeaux' most capricious and unruly grape variety, Petit Verdot. Petit Verdot gives the much meeded contribution of backbone and power to the wines.
Also the grapes for whites, like Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Muscadelle, did ripe perfectly and produced tremendously fine dry white wines. Sweet white wines turned unfortunately to be a few light, elegant and charming wines, which were based 100% on September pickings. Beginning on the 11th October, it rained heavily in Bordeaux and it continued until the end of the year.