2004 l'Eglise Clinet

The 2004 l’Eglise-Clinet is an outstanding wine for the vintage, where notes both from bottles and magnum have been uniformly impressive. It has a fragrant bouquet with copious red cherry, crushed strawberry, orange sorbet and violet aromas that you would think come from a warmer growing season. The palate is beautifully balanced with fine-grain tannin, a fine bead of acidity, resolutely classic in style with a persistent tobacco-laced finish. It is a quintessential l’Eglise-Clinet that can be broached now, but will also age. Tasted at a private dinner in London.

The 2004 Château L'Eglise-Clinet needed 30-40 minutes to open in the glass before offering blackberry, briary, leather and black truffle scents that are very harmonious and actually build momentum in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, a little powdery in texture with black pepper and clove infused on what feels like a structured, masculine finish that is so typical of this vintage. However, it is well balanced and quite long in the mouth, certainly a commendable wine of the vintage, a L'Eglise-Clinet that should age well for another 10-15 years. This is a classic Pomerol and a classic L'Eglise-Clinet from Denis Durantou. Tasted February 2016.

In bottle. Relatively high yields of more than 40 hl/ha rather than the usual closer to 30 hl/ha. Racy and fluid. Not that concentrated or rich but juicy and lightly inky with real energy and drive. Long. (JR)