In the wineyard
The plot of Château L'Eglise-Clinet is just 4.5 hectares with typical production of around 1,000-1,500 cases per year.
A lengthy replanting programme has taken place since Denis Durantou took over in 1983. Vines grafted on unsuitable rootstocks have been ripped out in favour of better selections with around 8,000 vines occupying each of Château L'Eglise-Clinet's hectares. This is Pomerol so Merlot is king, representing approximately 85% of the blend with Cabernet Franc completing the picture.
A good proportion of the Cabernet Franc in the blend is from very old vines that survived the great frost of 1956, with the oldest vines dating back to 1935. 25% of Château L'Eglise-Clinet's vines are older than 75 years of age.
In the winery
While Denis Durantou overhauled the vineyard, tradition is still favoured in the winery. The new millennium ushered stainless steel into the vat room but he has not followed trends nor fads. He has however, upped the new oak since his arrival. Drink Château L'Eglise-Clinet from the 1980s or early 1990s, and there is as little as 30% new oak.
Today, maturation takes place in oak barrels of which 80% is new, adding even more refinement to the nuanced, rich Pomerol fruit. La Petite Eglise is not a second wine in its true sense: it is neither a barrel selection nor a creation of younger vines. Instead, it is a separate site planted on lighter sandy soils giving a lighter, earlier drinking style.
