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L'Eglise-Clinet 2018

Château L'Eglise-Clinet , Bordeaux, France

Château L'Eglise-Clinet
Bordeaux France
  • 100
    Points
  • The 217 best
    of 3 290 954
    wines globally
  • 4 Pros of
    4 recommend
    this wine
90 100
  • Taste
  • Moment

  • Country ranking ?

    178

  • Producer ranking ?

    4

  • Decanting time

    4h

  • When to drink

    from 2025

  • Food Pairing

    Beef

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99-100 JAMES SUCKLING: "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." 

97 DECANTER: "This is rich, with layers upon layers of black chocolate, ripe fleshy blackberries and raspberries tempered by acidity and tannins that support,...

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The Story

Since 1983, Denis Durantou has been at the helm of this historic estate. He has quietly performed something of a revolution, introducing a host of innovations and bringing his wine-making philosophy to one of the greatest terroirs in Bordeaux. The 4.5 hectares used for the grand vin are situated next to the church in Pomerol on gravel and clay soils. A further 1.5 hectares of on sandy soils account for the excellent Petite Eglise. 

Denis’ w...

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Vintage 2018

Report and recommendations for the 2018 Bordeaux vintage

by Andrew Caillard MW

2018 is an exceptional year. Bordeaux whites and Sauternes are very good, but from an Australian perspective, the excitement is all in the red wines. All sub-regions produced examples of very good wines, but some performed better than others. Generally, the largest estates have made exemplary wines illustrating that the human factor and wealth can have a major...

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Tasting note

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Written Notes

2018 L'Eglise Clinet 98+p
Tasted in November 2021. 90% Merlot + 10% C. Franc, 14.5% alcohol. This wine had a huge concentration, strong backbone, fat and dense on the palate (old vines), lot of minerality, great complexity, multilayered and excellent length, and long, long finish. Denis Durantou had always utilised traditional winemaking at his properties without modern tweaks. Amazing stuff.

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  • 98p

Ruby. Scented, violets, floral, blueberries and ripe raspberries almost leaps out of the glass, layered, and minerals far beneath. Fresh acidity, ripe tannins, anise, blueberries, juicy, some spices, layered, detailed, vanilla, spices, intense, long finish. 95-97

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  • 97p

Dark purple red colour with violet hue and almost black core. Opulent nose with distinct roasting aroma, dark chocolate, ripe plums, black cherries and blackberries. A wine with great precision, freshness, complexity, depth and length, one of the best Eglise Clinet ever tasted en primeur. A great classic combining opulence, elegance and freshness with a wonderful texture. 

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  • 98p
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Information

Origin

Pomerol, Bordeaux

Inside Information

96-98 THE WINEADVOCATE: "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."

95-98 WINESPECTATOR: "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.—J.M."

95-98 ANTONIO GALLONI: "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."

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