Château Clinet 2016

Warm and fleshy in feel, showing dark plum, boysenberry and blackberry sauce flavors infused with mulling spice and black tea notes. Singed alder and tobacco hints flicker on the finish, adding texture. This delivers an encore of fruit detail on the finish too, with some sneaky length. Seductive. Best from 2021 through 2034. 4,000 cases made.

This is a wine that makes you want to slow down, take your time and let those flavours envelop you. It's a little subdued right now, but the texture pulls you in and holds on tight. There is Cabernet in the DNA here and you feel it: a touch of austerity in the first breath, then an intense punch of dark, tight cassis fruits with a liquorice and dark chocolate finish. It's taken on more flesh on the bones during ageing, with the aromatics blossoming through the glass and revealing floral, violet-stained edging and a silky smooth tannic frame.

Beautiful blue fruit and earth with hints of black truffle, this has a violet and fragrant edge, too. Really complex, youthful impression here. The palate has mouthwatering fruit flavor and terrific sense of fresh energy and cut on the finish. A blend of 90 per cent merlot and ten per cent cabernet sauvignon. Try from 2024.

The 2016 Clinet offers an intriguing combination of power and finesse. Iron, smoke, red cherry jam, blood orange and leather all power through in this racy, sensual Pomerol. In some moments, Clinet is silky and nuanced, while at other times a darker, more brooding side comes through. The 2016 has so much to offer. I would prefer to cellar it for at least a few years.

Combines elegance, grace and concentration, with purity and freshness, allowing the silky, lush, chocolate infused, plums and black cherries to shine through all those truffles. Long and complex, with the ability to age for decade, this is not as user friendly as the 2015, so allow it at least a decade to age and develop.

Deep dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, subtle brightening at the rim, fine blackberry, smoky, spicy nuances, fine oak notes. Taut, blackberry, vivid, somewhat-demanding tannins, still seems a bit dry on the finish, a lot of oak in the mix, needs time to develop further, definite ageing potential.

Intense and perfumed nose, sweet floral notes with layers of ripe red and dark fruit, tobacco with fine oak in the background. Dense and ample palate with plenty of tannin, yet very fine polish, lush and silky with seductive fruit, finely tuned oak and a very long sustained finish.

Tasted on four separate occasions, the 2016 Château Clinet is another brilliant wine from this estate. Showing slightly more freshness and purity than the 2015, its saturated purple color is followed by a thrilling array of crème de cassis, graphite, ground herbs, and a terrific sense of minerality. Deep, full-bodied, with building tannins, and a magical sense of purity and elegance paired with real density and depth, it needs short term cellaring and will keep for three decades.

Blend: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, production of 48,000 to 50,000 bottles. 70% new barrels. Deep purple with a garnet glint at the rim. Open nose of dark cherries, followed by praline chocolates, coconut, and plenty of blackcurrant. Full-bodied palate with a silky texture and powdery tannins. Finishes with a long finale of blueberries, dark tobacco, plum skin, and noticeable astringency. There’s no doubt about its class!

Kunz Fassprobe 17: (90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, production approx. 49,000 bottles) Velvety, powerful, full bouquet: strawberry jelly, rosehips, toasted notes, tobacco, currants, pralines. Creamy, dense, full, sweet palate with intense, fresh fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a creamy, finely muscular structure, layered aromatics, and a long, dense finish. Can still improve.

(90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, production approx. 49,000 bottles) Velvety, powerful, full bouquet: strawberry jelly, rose hips, toasty notes, tobacco, currants, pralines. Creamy, dense, full, sweet-leaning palate with intense, fresh fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a creamy, finely muscular structure, a wide range of aromas, and a long, dense finish. Can improve further. 18/20 2024 - 2045

Creamy, powerful but restrained, an excellent Clinet that truly shows the estate’s potential and character. Love this wine: sleek, with cocoa bean, bilberry and grilled blackberry notes, shot through with baking spice and freshly cut herbs. 65% new oak. Yield: 39 hl/ha. Owner: Ronan Laborde.

The 2016 Clinet is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps with expressive blackberry pie, tobacco, new leather, and fruitcake notes with hints of dried lavender and menthol. Medium to full-bodied, firm, and chewy, it is maturing in character with lively backbone and lots of mineral sparks, finishing earthy.

With 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, Clinet’s blend stands out in Pomerol, producing a wine with a very beautiful color, clear and bright. The nose reveals pure, well-defined fruit with subtle oak and a touch of elegance. The tannic structure asserts itself with great purity. It is a straightforward, very sincere and complete wine.

Fresh red fruit, morello cherry, vanilla. The palate is sappy and full-bodied, with opulent, refined tannins; lively, with a hint of liquorice and a long finish.

Purplish purple. The bouquet of Clinet 2016 has many a story to tell. It is youthful and intense, with spicy, fruity notes and a pleasant expression of freshness conferred by the Cabernet Sauvignon. This freshness is also present on the palate and is in perfect harmony with the wine’s creamy side. A very fine balance. The tannins are fine, perfectly integrated, and provide solid support. Clinet has gained in precision and authenticity. Bravo!

Deep colour, of moderate intensity and slightly evolved. Moderately intense nose with ripe fruit. A supple, fruity palate that develops into a juicy, flavoursome and sleek mouthfeel. Fine, sappy length with very well-integrated tannins. Blend: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Alcohol content: 14%.