Wine Advisor
L'Eglise Clinet 2001
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
A very fresh lifted cherry and raspberry leaf scented nose with a touch of mocha and cigar box. The palate is medium-bodied, well balanced with dense, robust tannins and a firm grip. Great balance, fine acidity with a very natural finish that compared to the entry is much more feminine and refined. Tasted October 2007.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
An outstanding effort that sells for less than half the price of the 2000, the 2001's deep saturated ruby/purple color is followed by aromas of caramel and pure black cherries intermixed with hints of plums, currants, truffles, and well-integrated toasty oak. The wine is medium to full-bodied, with tremendous purity, impressive concentration, and undeniable elegance and classicism. One will rarely go wrong buying any wine made by proprietor Denis Durantou, a true purist. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at Bordeaux Index’s 10-Year On horizontal. A dark garnet colour, this has a lovely nose, a deep well of dark berried fruits with superbly integrated oak. Very fine delineation with touch of raspberry and crushed strawberry, an underlying mineralite really coming through. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins, real backbone here with strong Cabernet Franc lending touches of bell pepper and leafiness towards the long, complex finish. Still very tight, this will benefit from further bottle age. Tasted March 2011.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted at the chateau, this has another breathtaking nose in terms of purity and lift, here with perhaps more minerality and definition than the 2000. It exhibits more femininity and maybe a notch less vigour than the 2000? Black cherries, raspberry and blueberry – there is a real exuberance here that is not a million miles away from Ausone. The palate is full-bodied with very fine tannins, still a little unresolved oak to be subsumed, very concentrated and a little more viscous than the 2000. Lovely definition on the finish, that note of bay leaf coming back right on the finish with a hint of white pepper. One for the cellar. Tasted May 2009.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
A brilliant effort (one of the vintage’s most substantial wines), proprietor Denis Durantou has turned in a tour de force in 2001. Sadly, there are only 1,500 cases of this 85% Merlot / 15% Cabernet Franc blend (from vines averaging 40 years of age). This beauty boasts a dense ruby/purple color as well as a glorious nose of red and black fruits, flowers, sweet oak, and hints of licorice as well as truffles. Opulent, medium to full-bodied, concentrated, tannic, and persistent on the palate (the finish lasts 40 seconds), give it 2-4 years of cellaring, and drink it between 2007-2020.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
April 2003 at the chateau where Denis Durantou compared it with the 2002. It’s amazing how this wine transforms in the first year. A stunning opulent nose full of crushed berries, black fruits, bramble bushes and cranberry. The palate is very well-balanced, inviting already with well-knit tannins. Seamless and sophisticated, this is much better than expected. Tasted again in October 2004. The nose has closed down in the interim: dense black fruit, hedgerow and sea salt. The palate has a very firm grip, well-balanced with tobacco becoming more evident. The acidity is what really lifts this wine. Drink from 2010. Then at the MW horizontal in November 2005. It is in horizontals such as this that L'Eglise-Clinet shows its class. A very backward, tobacco scented nose with bewitching delineation and focus. The palate is very dense, broody and animally with a touch of black truffle lingering in the layers of sweet black fruit. Stern, bold tannins and a very long finish - sheer class, but it should not be approached for 10-12 years.
Reviewed by: Robert M. Parker, Jr.
I am sure proprietor Denis Durantou would disagree, but I think the 2001 is well behind the 2000, not to mention the 1998 and surprisingly strong 1999. Nevertheless, it is an outstanding, classic Pomerol. A dense ruby/purple color is followed by aromas that reveal much less evolution than most vintages do at this stage. Black cherries, raspberries, and currants are mixed with earth and subtle wood characteristics in the moderately intense perfume. The wine is medium to full-bodied and nicely layered, with outstanding concentration. It is a more elegant, livelier version of the 2000 and 1998. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020+.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The Château l'Eglise-Clinet 2001, which was served from magnum, is a worthy follow-up to the millennial release and might be unfairly overshadowed by it. The 2001 has a slightly lighter and more feminine bouquet, but it delivers the same level of beguiling delineation and crystalline raspberry and cranberry fruit. This has a Burgundy-like purity, very harmonious in the mouth with very fine acidity. There is a sense of harmony interwoven into this Pomerol—a gentle build towards the lightly spiced, truffle-tinged finish that will put a smile on any wine-lover's face. One of the prettiest wines under Denis Durantou's reign, it might not have the prowess of the 2000, but it has plenty of class. Tasted March 2015.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2001 l’Eglise-Clinet is a wine that I have encountered many times both from bottle and magnum. It is a superb Pomerol with a crystalline bouquet that exudes pure red berry fruit laced with smoke and truffle, almost Burgundian in style with immense precision. The palate is medium-bodied with wonderful harmony and precision thanks to its filigree tannin. Such is the elegance on display here that it belies the power and length, ferrous notes, even a hint of curry leaf furnishing the finish. Superb.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Good medium ruby. Quintessential Pomerol nose combines roasted black raspberry, coffee liqueur and chocolate. Suave, sweet and voluptuous, with a wonderfully pliant texture and a flamboyantly expressive personality. This sent a shiver of pleasure up my spine. Notes of chocolate liqueur and game, with a complicating mineral component. Hugely rich, sexy wine whose tannins coat the teeth. Silkier and more open today than the 2000, which is a more powerful but more roasted wine, with distinct suggestions of surmaturite and considerable tannic clout.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(recently pumped into tank) Full ruby-red. Complex, classic Pomerol aromas of smoky raspberry, bitter chocolate and coffee. Fat, lush and layered, with enough ripe acidity to give spine to the lovely black cherry, licorice and mineral flavors. Here one really senses the ripe merlot. Finishes sweet, ample and long, with lush, broad tannins.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Saturated ruby. Complex, highly spicy aromas of blueberry, kirsch, bitter chocolate, licorice and minerals. Sweet, creamy and concentrated; rich and dense but fresh and delineated, thanks to bright acidity. Finishes with fine, classy, old-viney tannins. Youthfully backward but not at all austere or rustic.
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.
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