Wine Advisor
L'Eglise Clinet, La Petite Eglise 2014
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Description
Petite Eglise, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France, Still, Red, 2010
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The La Petite Eglise 2014 was picked on 3 October and is matured in 50% new oak. It has a clean and generous, though comparatively uncomplicated bouquet, that is perhaps limited by the growing season. The palate is fresh and tense on the entry, a pinch of cracked black pepper at the front of the mouth. There is plenty of animation and energy in this La Petite Eglise with a fresh, almost citric finish that bodes well for the future.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2014 La Petite Eglise, pure Merlot picked on 3 October, is always a little gem and probably deserves more respect from cognoscenti. It has a gorgeously pure bouquet with ebullient red berry fruit, perhaps showing now more blue fruit, since I last tasted it. The palate is medium-bodied with supple ripe tannin, pure red cherry and strawberry coulis intermingled with cold stone and a touch of blood orange. There is wonderful precision on the finish. This is just superb and doubtless great value.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2014 La Petite Eglise offers lovely immediacy and suppleness. Sweet dark cherry, hard candy, flowers, plum, menthol and licorice are super-expressive in the glass. Round and immediate, the Petite Eglise is a lovely second wine with plenty of depth and appeal. Petite Eglise is 100% Merlot from gravelly soils.
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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