In Bond Fine Wine. 2023 Château Eglise Clinet, Pomerol, Bordeaux, France. Red Bordeaux in 6x75cl. Top critic score: 98/100 (AG). Drinking window: 2030–2060. Sold in bond by Albany Vintners, independent fine wine merchants.
Eglise Clinet is consistently one of the most profound wines of Pomerol, small in production (around 1000 cases per annum) but towering in reputation. Superbly located on the famous plateau of Pomerol, Eglise Clinet’s deep blue clay & gravel on iron-rich subsoils give its old-vine Merlot and Cabernet Franc remarkable depth and character. Denis Durantou made thrilling wines here and his daughters carry on this legacy at Eglise Clinet, making wines of richness, minerality & soul. La Petite Eglise is the second label of Eglise Clinet, made from a separate plot. The Durantou stable of Right Bank wines (Les Cruzelles, La Chenade, Montlandrie & Saintayme) impresses year in, year out. These are some of the finest value wines of Bordeaux at accessible prices.
Antonio Galloni (AG) — 98/100 · Vinous, 31/03/2026 · Drink 2030-2053
98+ Antonio Galloni, March 2026 Rich, layered and dynamic in the glass, the 2023 L'Eglise-Clinet is outrageously beautiful. Inky red/purplish fruit, spice, blood orange, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco open in the glass. The 2023 shows terrific finesse. It's a wine of tremendous power and reserve, with soaring aromatics, mind-blowing balance, layered depth, boundless energy and a real sense of tensi…
Antonio Galloni (AG) — 94–97/100 · Vinous, 30/04/2024 · Drink 2030-2053
The 2023 L'Eglise-Clinet is fabulous. Rich, deep and vertical in structure, this is all poise. Nothing in particular stands out, as all the elements are impeccably balanced. Time in the glass helps this open a bit, but the 2023 is a wine of reserve'a wine that is not showing all its cards. Gravel, incense, tobacco, dried herbs and mocha open with some coaxing. This will be stellar in time.
Neal Martin (NM) — 98–100/100 · Vinous, 29/04/2024 · Drink 2032-2060
The 2023 L'Eglise-Clinet was picked between September 10 and 14 and matured in 82% new oak. It has a stunning bouquet with enthralling delineation and focus, very intense with blackberries, raspberry, crushed stone, Earl Grey and a touch of blood orange. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-boned tannins and a dash of cracked black pepper. It's very harmonious and fans out brilliantly on the fin…