Wine Advisor
L'Eglise Clinet 1999
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
Proprietor Denis Durantou has turned out an open-knit l'Eglise-Clinet. The color is a healthy dark ruby/purple. The bouquet offers up black cherry/cassis, loamy soil, and spicy scents. The wine is soft and diffuse, with low acidity, sweet tannin, and a pleasant, moderately long finish. It will be ready to drink upon release, and should last for 10-12 years.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Following 1998 is a hard act to follow. Less powerful on the palate but retains style & exuberance. Dense cassis/blackcurrant . Very smooth and silky texture. Sophisticated medium-term drinking wine. Tasted February 2000.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Like Lafleur ’99 up the road, the Chateau l’Eglise-Clinet ’93 is in a very good place at the moment. Here, it has a lucid deep garnet colour that hardly appears to have aged in the last two years. The bouquet is captivating with scents of dark plum, wild strawberry, hints of black truffle and cold stones that are well defined. The palate is very well balanced with a keen thread of acidity. It is sensual and generous in the mouth – uncommon for a 1999 – with a finish that appears more powerful than my last encounter. This is a supreme Pomerol for the vintage. Drink 2014-2030. Tasted October 2012.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
This wine has been so impressive over the last decade that it can now be said to rival Petrus. I under-estimated this wine last year, as three separate tastings in January, 2001 proved. The deep ruby/purple-colored 1999 has filled out. The wine is fleshy with soft tannin as well as notes of blackberries, black raspberries, chocolate, earth, and leather. The diffuseness evident last year has disappeared, and the wine is delineated as well as focused. This full-bodied, beautifully concentrated, rich, creamy-textured 1999 is outstanding. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2025.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the 1999 horizontal at Bordeaux Index. This is a little deeper in colour than other Pomerols, pure dark black fruits, a touch of wild strawberry, less herbaceous and animally than others. It builds nicely in the glass. The palate is full-bodied, superb weight and concentration with firm tannins and much better grip than other Pomerol wines. Some lovely Cabernet Franc here. Still primal, almost reserved even but this is will reward patience and represents a worthy follow-up to the magnificent 1998. Superb effort from Mon. Durantou. Drink 2015-2030. Tasted June 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
The 1999 l'Eglise Clinet has evolved beautifully since tasted last year. This is one of the stars of the vintage. It is an extraordinary expression of elegance married to power. An opaque purple color is followed by aromas of black raspberries, currants, licorice, graphite, truffles, and earth. The wine is sweet and expansive. It is a model of purity, symmetry, and balance. Moderate tannin suggests 4-5 years of cellaring is required. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2025.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Denis Durantou explained that analytically, the Château l'Eglise-Clinet 1999 is exactly the same as the 1998, although it is completely different in taste. He also said that it was the last vintage that he had to chaptalize (a little). Poured from magnum, it is clearly more mild-mannered on the nose than the preceding vintage, but still extremely well defined with blackberry and briary scents, a hint of black truffle and incense following later. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannin. The acidity here is well judged, not unlike a superior and more substantial version of the 1997, with commendable precision on the truffle-tinged finish. This can be broached now, but unlike the 1997, this has another decade or more of drinking pleasure to give. Tasted March 2015.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 1999 l’Eglise-Clinet is youthful in appearance with thin bricking on the rim. The bouquet is very attractive with scents of Dorset plum, wild strawberry, truffle and a touch of warm brick, all nicely defined. The palate is well balanced and underpinned by a fine thread of acidity, demonstrating a little more fruit intensity than its peers, with a finish not a million miles away from the superb 1999 Lafleur. This off-vintage l’Eglise-Clinet is frankly not far away in quality from more lauded vintages. Excellent.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Saturated medium ruby-red. Expressive aromas of currant, mocha, coffee, Cuban tobacco, licorice and iron, lifted by pungent minerality and a floral nuance. Fresh and intensely flavored, though without the palate impact of the 2000 or 2001. Rather linear on the front half, then expands nicely toward the back, taking on increasing sweetness. Tannins are nicely ripe. No shortage of personality here.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Full bright ruby. Nose dominated by black raspberry and bitter chocolate. Silky, sweet and nicely concentrated, with expressive flavors of cassis, violet and espresso complicated by a hint of menthol. Finishes with big, chewy tannins and very good length.
About the Producer
Château l'Eglise-Clinet is located in the Pomerol appellation on the right bank of Bordeaux, France, and is one of the most famous wineries in the Pomerol region. Château Clinet Chapel has a long history, dating back to the late 19th century. The Rouchut family, who ran Chateau Clos l'Eglise at the time, and the Constant family, who ran Chateau Clinet, decided to make wine together. Until 1950, the Bordeaux wines produced by these two families were sold under the name Château Claregelis. It was only after 1950 that their wines were given their current name, Château Clignet. Later, the Durantou family acquired Château Clignet. However, the owner was not keen on wine at the time and left everything to Pierre Lasserre, the owner of another Pomerol estate. Pierre Lasserre only had to give him half of the estate's income each year. This partnership has continued for 40 years. Today, Denis Durantou, a descendant of the Durantou family, is in charge of the estate. At present, Château Clignet has 5.5 hectares of vineyards. The soils are mainly gravel and clay, some of which are rich in iron. The vineyards of Château Clignet were spared from the 1956 frosts and the vines are on average 45 years old. The vineyard is planted with 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc at a density of 6,500 vines per hectare. The vineyard is fertilised with an organic fertiliser mix every 5 years. The grapes are hand-picked when they are ripe at Château Clignet. After careful selection and crushing, the grapes are fermented in concrete and stainless steel containers for 15-21 days. After about October, the fermented wine is aged in new oak barrels for a period of 18 months. The main wine of Château Clinet is the Château l'Eglise-Clinet, Pomerol, France. The wines are concentrated and rich, full-bodied, with pure fruit and exotic spice notes, particularly fresh and wonderful, making them unique among Bordeaux wines. In recent years, as the price of the wine has soared, so has the quality. Today, it is in the top tier of Pomerol.
1961(1)1985(2)1989(1)1993(1)1994(1)1995(2)1997(2)1998(2)
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