Wine Varietals

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One of the great modern-day Bordeaux, the 1989 Clinet still has a saturated purple color and a sweet nose of creme de cassis intermixed with incense, licorice, smoke, and mineral. As the wine sits in the glass, more blueberry and blackberry notes emerge, intermixed with some toasty oak, earth, and spice. This spectacularly concentrated, full-bodied, multi-dimensional wine is the stuff of dreams. Anticipated maturity: 2005-2025. Last tasted, 10/02.Robert Parker | 100 RPThis wine has such balance and harmony. I remember when it was young and how the new wood and intense fruit came out, but they have finally come together in such a beautiful way. It shows subtle and complex character of plums, cedar, dried flowers, and earth. The texture or mouthfeel is beautiful as you taste it.James Suckling | 100 JSThe 1989 Clinet is the vintage that put this Pomerol estate on the map thanks to a perfect score from you-know-who. While I have never encountered a perfect bottle myself, a magnum hinted that it was not beyond the realm of possibility, though I have found bottles to be a bit hit-or-miss. This bottle is one of the better examples. It features kirsch, cassis and crushed violets on the nose, like a Margaux with the dial turned up to eleven (and I mean that in a positive way.) There is some VA here, but it merely gives kick to the aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied with a rich, precocious entry and generous sloe and brown sugar notes, very deep and rounded. A slightly volatile finish offers marvelous length. I suspect that to really experience the 1989 Clinet at its peak, you need to find perfectly cellared larger formats, although clearly bottles can be a thrill. Tasted blind at lunch in London.Vinous Media | 95 VM

A sensational effort, and one of the two finest Clinets made before the 2008, this prodigious wine made by the late Jean-Michel Arcaute has always been a sprinter out of the gate. Even at age 19, it continues to strut its stuff. A dense blue/garnet/purple hue exhibits slight lightening at the edge, and the gorgeous nose offers up aromas of sweet blueberries, licorice, smoke, acacia flowers, and camphor. Full-bodied with silky tannins, low acidity, and terrific purity, this 1990 has hit its plateau of full maturity where it should remain for another decade.Robert Parker | 97 RPMy previous encounter with the 1990 Clinet was out of magnum, circa the release of my Pomerol tome around a decade ago. It was impressive. However, this bottle suggests that this lauded Pomerol is beginning to stumble after 30 years. Rather volatile on the nose, the 1990 offers smudged black cherries, kirsch, green olives and dates, heady and ostentatious, though missing a bit of refinement. The palate is quite hedonistic, loaded with glycerine, a core of sweet black fruit with touches of fresh date and camphor, some VA just evident on the finish. Highly enjoyable for sure, though I would not leave bottles too long to drink. It is a Pomerol rather emblematic of the time.Vinous Media | 92 VMBeautifully crafted red. Brilliant ruby color. Aromas of fresh berries, blackberries and chocolate jump from the glass. Full-bodied and chewy, but velvety and caressing. Lots of ripe fruit.--1990 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2002.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Another extraordinary wine made in a backward vin de garde style, the 1995 Clinet represents the essence of Pomerol. The blackberry, cassis liqueur-like fruit of this wine is awesome. The color is saturated black/purple, and the wine extremely full-bodied and powerful with layers of glycerin-imbued fruit, massive richness, plenty of licorice, blackberry, and cassis flavors, full body, and a thick, unctuous texture. This is a dense, impressive offering from administrator Jean-Michel Arcaute. This wine should continue to improve for another 10-25 years. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2025.Robert Parker | 96 RPVery good deep red-ruby. Rather dumb nose exudes a faint shoe polish aroma. Dense, velvety, soft and mouthcoating; fills those hard-to-reach spots on your palate. Really an outsized wine, with thick, chocolatey fruit and major dusty tannins. But currently monolithic. In France they’d call this "Monsieur Plus.”Vinous Media | 88-92 VMWild aromas of forest fruits, coffee and toasted oak follow through to a rich and decadent palate with full body and a long chewy finish. This still needs time.--’95/’96 Bordeaux retrospective. Best after 2009.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Another resounding success for the vintage, the opaque purple-colored 2008 Clinet (14.4% alcohol) is composed of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. Yields of 38 hectoliters per hectare, while higher than in 2010, were still modest. Another powerful, big, large-scaled effort, the 2008 exhibits an inky/purple color as well as sweet creme de cassis, blackberry, plum, Asian spice, licorice and incense notes. Layered and full-bodied with stunning purity and a 40+ second finish, this beauty needs 3-5 years of bottle age and should keep for 25-30 years.Robert Parker | 94+ RPThe 2008 Clinet has a deep garnet colour. This has plenty of fruit on the nose with ample blackberry, cranberry and fresh mint; very well defined and quite opulent in the context of the growing season. The palate is fresh on the entry with fine tannin, layers of blackberry and bilberry fruit laced with crushed stone; fresh and lively with a hint of peppermint towards the finish and graphite (courtesy of the Cabernet) on the aftertaste. This is drinking very well now although it has another 15 years of drinking enjoyment to give. (Tasted at the château and at BI Wine & Spirits’ annual vertical tasting.)Vinous Media | 93 VMRipe, rich and almost flashy, with gorgeous spice, mocha and warm raspberry ganache notes up front, followed by darker fig, currant, graphite and black tea on the long, racy finish. Accessible now, this will be a real winner when it knits together fully. Best from 2013 through 2019. 2,915 cases made.Wine Spectator | 93 WSClinet is always an enjoyable wine to taste, and at 10 years old it is starting to approach its perfect moment, particularly in this relatively early-drinking vintage. You are not going to be disappointed, it has polish, verve, attack and impact. The floral edged, spiced black fruits are not as complex or momentous as Clinet in 2009 or ’10, but the liquorice and dark chocolate gives a Pomerol polish, as do those deft tannins. Drinking Window 2018 - 2036Decanter | 93 DECDark-colored wine, with smoky, bitter chocolate flavors: cocoa plus spice and jammy black plums. It’s powerful, densely textured, finishing with good acidity.Wine Enthusiast | 91 WESmoky and fruity, with dark fruits and spices. Full body, chewy tannins, with an excellent core of fruit underneath it all. This needs time to mellow. Give it at least three or four years.James Suckling | 90 JS

Including slightly more Cabernet Sauvignon than usual, the 2018 Château Clinet is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon that was brought up in 75% new French oak. One of the superstars of the vintage, it has incredible elegance and finesse as well as gorgeous richness and depth. Notes of cassis and truffly dark fruits as well as tobacco, damp earth, chocolate, and lead pencil shavings emerge from the glass, and it’s full-bodied, with a seamless, multi-dimensional texture, gorgeous tannins, and a great, great finish. It already offers incredible pleasure, but it won’t hit maturity for another 5-7 years and should evolve for 30 years or more. This magical wine is in the same league as the 2015 and 2016, and drinking these beauties over the coming decades will be an incredible treat.Jeb Dunnuck | 99 JDThe 2018 Clinet is a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged for approximately 16 months in French oak barriques, 75% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, the nose is locked down tight at first sniff, requiring a good amount of air to begin to reveal profound notions of stewed black plums, mulberries and black cherry compote, plus hints of black truffles, damp soil, tobacco leaf and chargrill with an emerging waft of cedar. The full-bodied palate is a full-on volcano of black fruit and molten rock waiting to erupt, with a solid frame of firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness, finishing with amazing length. There is a lot going on here, but it is a wine for the patient. Give it a good 5-7 years in bottle, at least, and drink it over the next 30+ years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPClosed and coiled right now, with ripped layers of fruit. A ton of graphite, bitter dark chocolate and finessed berry fruits. Definitely need to give this time and respect its muscular from. A seriously impressive Clinet that has held its form over ageing. Drinking Window 2026 - 2045.Decanter | 97 DECBlackberries and blueberries with subtle black chocolate and violets on the nose, following to a full-bodied palate with polished, creamy tannins. Beautiful balance and really refined texture. Drink after 2024, but already so gorgeous.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2018 Clinet, which was cropped at 38hl/ha, has an exquisite bouquet of lavish black cherry and raspberry fruit, and still those bunches of violets I observed from barrel, flanked by potpourri. The aromatics are well defined and the new oak seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit. It has firmed up since I tasted in barrel, when I noted that it felt like a "muscular" Clinet in the making. That trait is emphasized in bottle, and those accustomed to the more hedonistic Clinets of yore might find it a tad more reserved and drier. But it is a style that suits it well. White pepper leaves the mouth tingling after it has departed, the fitting conclusion to a superb – dare I say cerebral? – Clinet that has a long and prosperous future.Vinous Media | 95 VMThis is a powerful, densely structured wine. Rich in tannins, full of dark black fruits and ripe acidity, the wine is impressively complete. It has considerable promise. Drink this wine from 2026.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WE

The 2020 Château Clinet checks in as a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, brought up in 80% new French oak. It’s a rich, yet gorgeous wine with a wonderful sense of freshness in its ripe blue and black fruits as well as tobacco, chocolate, and damp earth. Full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and elegant on the palate, it has perfect tannins, a layered, elegant mouthfeel, and one hell of an impressive finish. One of the finest Pomerols in the vintage, it will benefit from just 3-5 years of bottle age and keep for two decades.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDWhat a beautiful young wine, showing so much finesse and tension, with ultra-fine tannins and subtle and long flavors and character. It’s medium-bodied with extremely silky tannins that grow on the palate to a seamless finish. Harmonious. Another fine Pomerol for the cellar. Drink after 2027.James Suckling | 98 JSThe 2020 Clinet is hugely impressive, as it was from barrel. Dark and imposing, with notable vibrancy, the 2020 offers up an exotic mélange of black cherry, gravel, incense, plum, game and licorice. I would give this a few years in bottle, as the tannins are pretty imposing. Cabernet Sauvignon is so distinctive here.Vinous Media | 95 VMDark and heady, smooth but still lean with a sense of seriousness with firm tannins that fill the mouth. Lovely high acidity offsets the powdery, chalky texture with perfumed blackberries and cherries alongside liquorice and cola touches. Rich and quite dense but with lovely persistence and energy.Decanter | 95 DECThe 2020 Clinet offers up aromas of minty cherries, blackberries and cassis mingled with hints of licorice, loamy soil and rose petals. Full-bodied, broad and rich, with a layered mid-palate underpinned by powdery tannins that assert themselves on the youthfully firm finish, it’s impressively balanced for a wine at 15% alcohol, but it remains a rather burly, powerful Clinet.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPThis wine’s dense tannins and bold black fruits are balanced by its fine acidity and a fresh element that cuts through the dark chocolate and black plum flavors to give a fine lift to what will be an impressive wine as it matures. Wine Enthusiast | 94 WESports spicy toast and warmed fruitcake out front, backed by a solid core of steeped cherry and blackberry notes to match. This is all wrapped up with singed vanilla and sweet tobacco on the finish, along with a tug of warm earth. Shows solid range, if a bit reliant on the toast. A strong effort for the vintage. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2026 through 2036. 3,833 cases made, 594 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WS

The 2022 Château Clinet showed beautifully, with an almost Médoc-like style in its darker cassis, graphite, cedar pencil, and tobacco aromas and flavors. Full-bodied on the palate, it has ripe, velvety tannins, a round, layered mouthfeel, and remarkable purity. Pomerol was one of the erratic appellations in 2022, but this beauty does everything right and brings a beautiful mix of richness and elegance. It should round into form with just short-term bottle age and evolve for two decades. The blend is the usual 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.Jeb Dunnuck | 96-98 JDStreamlined and sleek, silky smooth but also gorgeously textured, clean and clear with grip and interest. Less fleshy and chewy than some, more charming and elegant with tannins that have a weight in the mouth. There is clear power and concentration underneath the juicy acidity with a straight backbone and direct energy from start to finish. Appealing layers of salinity, blackcurrant fruit, creamy vanilla, cool cola touches and crushed stones on the finish. Feels well made and sophisticated. 3.74pH. A yield of 34hl/ha. Earliest harvest ever starting on 6 September for Merlot and 20 and 21 September for Cabernet Sauvignon.Decanter | 96 DECA blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon that represents the earliest harvest in this estate’s history (beginning on September 6), the 2022 Clinet is a success, offering up aromas of cherries and dark berries mingled with hints of spices and a discreet patina of new oak. Medium to full-bodied, ample and layered, it’s impressively vibrant, with a rich core of fruit framed by powdery tannins from judicious extraction. This has more in common with the more refined 2018 and 2019 vintages at this address than with the powerhouse 2020, and that is no mean feat in an even more extreme vintage. Bravo to Ronan Laborde and his team.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94-96 RPThe 2022 Clinet is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon picked from 6-21 September at around 34hL/ha. There were apparently many bunches, but the berries were small. Aged in 80% new oak and 20% 2nd fill barrels, the 2022 offers black fruit on the nose with traces of Japanese nori probably emanating from the Cabernet. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, well-judged acidity and a fine backbone that gently grips the mouth. This is a linear Pomerol with impressive delineation on the almost pastille-like finish. I appreciate this Clinet’s persistence and discrete spiciness on the aftertaste. Excellent. But it is a vintage that requires time in bottle.Vinous Media | 94-96 VMA very fine and polished red with silky tannins, medium body and a savory finish. Hints of hazelnut to the currant and berry fruit.James Suckling | 94-95 JSThe 2022 Clinet is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, aging in 80% new oak. It was harvested from harvest from the 6th to the 21st of September and yields were 34 hl/ha. Deep garnet-purple in color, it storms out of the glass with powerful notes of plum preserves, crème de cassis, and boysenberries, leading with suggestions of sandalwood, mossy tree bark, sassafras, and mocha with a waft of tar. The full-bodied palate is rich and densely laden with black fruit preserves, supported by firm, grainy tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and opulent. This is a wonderfully decadent wine that will be very long-lived but will require some patience.The Wine Independent | 94-96+ TWI