Clinet 2003

robert_parker85

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted blind at Bordeaux Index’s Clinet vertical. The Clinet ‘03 has a relatively light bouquet with redcurrant, wild hedgerow, orange rind and a touch of bacon fat. It is lifted and airy…yet lacking substance. The palate is medium-bodied and harmonious, very supple in texture with lower acidity than other vintages, velvety in texture with orange peel, wild strawberry and a touch of leather on the finish with touches of sage and dried blood. I appreciate this wine in the context of the vintage, although it seems quite forward for its age and it fades in the glass. Tasted February 2011.

robert_parker84

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

First tasted out of barrel. A very soft plummy nose which seems a little "hot and bothered". A simplistic, slightly jammy palate, low acidity and very open-knit. I wish there were more tannins, more elegance in Clinet which can make such excellent wines. Please? Tasted again after bottling at the UGC in October 2005. The nose is open-knit, lacking a little vigor. Some scents of tobacco emerge with much coaxing. The palate is jammy with low acidity. Simple muffled, plummy fruits which seem raisined and baked. Dry finish.

robert_parker81

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Back down t Earth with a bump. The nose is quite light and diffuse, with faint scents of raspberry leaf and gravel. The palate just seems rather stewed with a greenness coming through on the finish. Below par. Drinking 2008-2011. Tasted January 2007.

robert_parker88

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Not a powerful example of Clinet, this 2003 possesses a deep ruby/purple color along with attractive aromas of licorice, underbrush, incense, blackberries, and cherries, medium body, fine ripeness, and elevated tannin in the finish. The wine’s textural mid-palate is better than most of its neighbors’. Anticipated maturity: 2004-2012.

robert_parker88

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

Dense ruby-hued with a scorched earth, herb, sweet cherry, plum, and black fruit-scented bouquet, the medium-bodied 2003 reveals un-integrated, rugged tannin along with a fleshy front end that narrows in the finish. I have some reservations about the direction this 2003 will go, so I would opt for drinking it during its first 7-8 years of life.

robert_parker86

Reviewed by: Neal Martin

Tasted at Bordeaux Index’s “10-Year On” tasting in London. The Clinet 2003 puts the Gazin 2003 in the shade with a far more precocious bouquet: peppermint, dark cherries and blueberry fruit that is unashamedly New World in style, though compared to outstanding successes in 2009 and 2010 it lacks some class. But there is at least some freshness here. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly acetic opening. It seems a little overdone, a little showy when there is not that much to offer compared to the ethereal vintages of late and again, the raisin-tinged finish suffers from monotony. Tasted March 2013.

robert_parker86

Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.

The 2003 Clinet is disappointing. Light to medium-bodied and soft, with hints of over-ripe, nearly raisiny, black currant and fig-like characteristics, it exhibits a late harvest-like style with low acidity, sweet fruit, abundant glycerin, and a disjointed mouthfeel. Drink it over the next 7-8 years.