Chateau Clinet 2022

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Inky, dark in color, the wine explodes from the glass with its floral display before moving to its wealth of dark red pit fruits, chocolate, truffle, wild cherry, and mint aromas. However, it is the velvet-drenched layers of dark fruit, opulent-textures, and cashmere tannins where the wine really takes off. The finish is pure hedonistic-decadence that must be felt to be believed. You have plenty of time to experience it as the fruits remain on your palate for over 60 seconds! This is Pomerol. and Clinet at its best! The wine blends 80% Merlot with 20% Cabernet Franc. 14.5% ABV, 3.75 pH. Harvesting took place September 6, September 21. This is the earliest start to a vintage in the history of Clinet. Yields were 34 hectoliters per hectare. Drink from 2027-2060."

JEB DUNNUCK: "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."

FALSTAFF: "Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Zart floral, schwarze Beeren und Lakritze, schwarze Kirschen, Mandarinenzesten. Saftig, elegant, reife Kirschen, frischer Säurebogen, wie aus einem Guss, reife, tragende Tannine, ein balancierter Speisenbegleiter von großer Länge und mit beachtlichem Potenzial."

DECANTER: "Streamlined 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."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "A 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."

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: „The 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."

WEINWISSER: "Delikates rot- und blaubeeriges Bouquet, Graphit, dunkles Edelholz und Johannisbeernektar. Am komplexen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, engmaschigem Tanningerüst, balancierter Rasse und durchtrainiertem Körper. Im konzentrierten und energiegeladenen Finale rotbeerige Konturen, tiefschürfende Mineralik und feinkörniger Extrakt. Ein Clinet, der durch seine Reinheit überzeugt und noch zulegen kann! 2030 – 2050."

JAMES SUCKLING: "A very fine and polished red with silky tannins, medium body and a savory finish. Hints of hazelnut to the currant and berry fruit."

JANCIS ROBINSON: "Intense crimson. Sweet, supple, hedonistic nose. Very smooth and seductive with, just, enough freshness and some rigour in the structure. Lots of tannin built into this ambitious wine although the sheer weight of ripe fruit distracts until the end of the palate. Should have a longer life than many of its peers."