Ch.Clinet 2013 750ml

Wine Advocate #227, 29th Oct 2016
The 2013 Clinet was one of the better wines that I tasted from barrel. Indeed both Robert Parker and I scored this Pomerol around the same mark and now it is in bottle, it has fulfilled my expectations as a delicious, easy-going, but still well-crafted wine from Ronan Laborde. It has a delicate but precise bouquet that gains intensity in the glass, cassis and a touch of wild mint, ground pepper emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannin that need another 12-18 months to soften, however there is adequate fruit underneath with a linear, slightly sappy finish. Enjoy this over the next 10-12 years.

Chateau Clinet is a small Pomerol property that has leapt to prominence in the last 15 years and now produces one of the most sought-after wines in the region. The 9-hectare vineyard is on top of one of the finest plateaux in Pomerol and is planted with Merlot (80%), Cabernet Sauvignon (10%) and Cabernet Franc (10%).
In the 1980s Jean-Michel Arcaute married Clinet's proprietor George Audy's daughter and by 1986 Jean Michel was running the property. He engaged the services of cult oenologist Michel Rolland, who introduced much later harvesting, ensuring super-ripe fruit, as well as extending the amount of time the wines spent in 100% new oak barriques. Within 5 years, Clinet's wine were being compared to those of Petrus, Lafleur and Le Pin, and selling for similar prices.
Clinet produces a wine which is concentrated and rich but is supremely well balanced with a finish that lasts and lasts. It is hard to resist when young, yet the wines from the best vintages will continue to improve for over 10 years. Jean-Michel Arcaute was tragically killed in a boating accident in 2001.

Meats, Beef and Venison