2021

Château Clinet

Pomerol AOP

2021 hat dem eisenhaltigen Kies-Terroir der Appellation Pomerol eine zauberhafte Cuvée entlockt. Das Château Clinet präsentiert sich rund und in meisterlich abgestimmter Harmonie. Auf nur acht Hektar dominierte früher noch der Cabernet Sauvignon. Mittlerweile wurde er - wie in der gesamten Appellation Pomerol - vom früher reifenden Merlot abgelöst. So beherrscht er mit 75 % die Cuvée des Château Clinet, die gleichermaßen Kraft und Feinheit aus dem Terroir des kiesigen Hochplateaus zieht, auf dem auch das benachbarte Saint-Émilion fußt. Wie eine edle Schmuckschatulle öffnet sich der Wein mit dem Duft von Tropenhölzern. Dahinter verführerischer Vanilleduft und Kardamom-Anklänge. Im Mund mit Pomerol-typischer Frucht, die weich, vollmundig und herrlich frisch wirkt. Dieser perfekte Trinkfluss wird gekonnt durch feine Tannine ergänzt. 96 Tesdorpf-Punkte.

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"At 75% Merlot and fully 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Clinet contains the highest proportion of Cabernet in the blend (excepting the 2003) since at least the 1980s. Ronan Laborde harvested late, picking into mid-October, to craft a medium to full-bodied, deep and impressively seamless wine evocative of dark berries, baking chocolate, violets and spices. Concentrated and nicely integrated, it is one of the vintage's notable successes. Ronan Laborde is producing the best wines of his career at this Pomerol reference point. Some eight hectares produce Clinet, much of the vineyards being located around the château in the lieu-dit that lends it its name, complemented by a parcel by the church and another not far from the headquarters of the syndicat viticole. Today, these holdings are planted with some 80% Merlot, but before phylloxera, Cabernet Sauvignon was widely planted in this sector, and today, Laborde is replacing Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon (he retains a parcel of old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon dating back to 1950). Vines are hedged at 1.5 meters, and cover crops help to manage water in the iron-rich clays near the château, allowing access by tractor even after recent rainfall. In the winery, Laborde now employs small stainless steel tanks that permit parcel-by-parcel vinification, and a vertical press has been the order of the day since as long ago as 2001. What's really evolved in recent years is the barrel program: oak is long-seasoned (four to five years), and some large formats have joined the classic 225-liter barriques; but above all, lighter, less impactful toasts are now chosen, meaning Clinet's 80% new oak is much more discreet in its aromatic and textural contribution than was the case a decade ago." 93-95 Wine Advocate (William Kelley)

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"The 2021 Clinet is gorgeous. Soaring Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics lend presence to a deep, beautifully layered Pomerol that gets better and better with time in the glass. I especially admire the vibrancy here. At 25%, the Cabernet Sauvignon is high for Clinet, but it's an approach that works quite well in 2021. This is a fine vintage for Clinet." 92-94 Vinous (Antonio Galloni)

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"Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Feine Edelholzwürze, Nelken und Vanille, dunkle Kirschen, ein Hauch von Pflaumen, kandierte Orangenzesten. Mittlerer Körper, wieder Zwetschken, gut integrierte Tannine, etwas Nougat, mineralischer Abgang, noch etwas statischer Stil, wird von Flaschenreife profitieren." 93 Falstaff (Peter Moser)