1989 Château Clinet

The 1989 Clinet can be variable nowadays, and generally, I feel this peaked around 15 years ago. Nonetheless, it remains a very fine Pomerol. Savory on the nose with morels and meat juices, it does actually meliorate and gain freshness with aeration. There's just a bit more VA compared to the Petrus. The palate is medium-bodied with a sweet core of fruit, kirsch and veins of blue fruit. It is slightly glossy on the finish, with (again) some VA blurring the edges. It's a bit raucous for a Pomerol, but it is a lot of fun. Tasted at the 1989 Bordeaux dinner at 67 Pall Mall.

The 1989 Clinet is the vintage that put this Pomerol estate on the map thanks to a perfect score from you-know-who. While I have never encountered a perfect bottle myself, a magnum hinted that it was not beyond the realm of possibility, though I have found bottles to be a bit hit-or-miss. This bottle is one of the better examples. It features kirsch, cassis and crushed violets on the nose, like a Margaux with the dial turned up to eleven (and I mean that in a positive way.) There is some VA here, but it merely gives kick to the aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied with a rich, precocious entry and generous sloe and brown sugar notes, very deep and rounded. A slightly volatile finish offers marvelous length. I suspect that to really experience the 1989 Clinet at its peak, you need to find perfectly cellared larger formats, although clearly bottles can be a thrill. Tasted blind at lunch in London.