2021 Chateau Clinet - Pomerol AC

Decanter.com - 95 pts - GH: *An exceptional Clinet in 2021. Richly scented, dark and roguish, a touch of sour cherry and perfume to the nose. Round, supple, generous and vibrant on the palate - this has a life force to it with nuance of red berry flavour and real persistency as well as juicy acidity. I love the upfront nature of this and the really quite vivid and expressive red fruits while the background gives the savoury, menthol, liquorice notes offering depth and wideness - lots of terroir and grape markers in the glass - particularly the high percentage (25%) of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Tannins are firm and supportive with the overall freshness lifting the frame, delivering a full mouthfeel with a density of tannins and black fruit that doesn't dip. Well worked and presented. A touch of wood on the finish but subtle and supportive. You also get the florality all the way through which is just so appealing. Supremely well worked, charming but also confident - I absolutely love it and it clearly stood out every time tasting it - four times in total. 45,000 bottles made, same production as 2020.*

Falstaff Magazin – 93 pts – PM: *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.*

The Wine Advocate – (93-95) pts – WK: *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.*

WeinWisser – 18+/20pts – GL, TW: *75 % Merlot, 25 % Cabernet Sauvignon. Verspieltes Bouquet, frischgepflückte Himbeeren, zartes Veilchenparfüm, Nougatpralinen, dahinter getrockneter Thymian und Flieder. Am dicht verwobenen Gaumen mit cremiger Textur, herrlicher Extraktsüße, reifem Tanningerüst und durchtrainiertem Körper. Im gebündelten, langanhaltenden Finale rotbeerige Konturen, Preiselbeergelee und edle Earl Grey-Note. Kann noch zulegen. Bravo President!* – 04/2022

quarin.com – 94 pts - JMQ: *Couleur sombre, intense et pourpre. Nez très aromatique, au fruité pur et mûr. Moelleux en entrée de bouche, savoureux au milieu, avec du goût et un profil juteux et suave, le vin grandit en finale. Il s'achève long, sur une jolie trame tannique enveloppée.*

JamesSuckling.com – (93-94) pts - JS: *Firm, lightly chewy yet creamy tannins. Savory bark and herb notes. Cloves and licorice, too. Medium body with a polished, lengthy and firm finish. Compact.*

Vinous.com – (92-94) pts – AG: *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.*

Vinous.com – (92-94) pts – NM: *The 2021 Clinet is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, picked September 27–30 and October 12, respectively, and aged in 80% new oak. It has a well-defined bouquet of blackberry, graphite and light tobacco scents, very Left Bank in style – unsurprisingly, given the contribution of the Cabernet. Medium-bodied and sappy on the midpalate, with pliant tannins and moderate depth, and a lovely touch of black pepper toward the finish. Not a powerful Clinet and certainly far from the style of 15–20 years ago, but there’s a linearity and understatedness about this Pomerol, a freshness that should guarantee it will repay 5–6 years in bottle. This is a very well-crafted Clinet even if I do not rank it as a classic. If it puts on more weight, it may well land at the top of my banded score.*