Château Clinet 2020

Sports spicy toast and warmed fruitcake out front, backed by a solid core of steeped cherry and blackberry notes to match. This is all wrapped up with singed vanilla and sweet tobacco on the finish, along with a tug of warm earth. Shows solid range, if a bit reliant on the toast. A strong effort for the vintage. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2026 through 2036. 3,833 cases made, 594 cases imported.

Dark and heady, smooth yet still lean with a sense of seriousness, with firm tannins that fill the mouth. Lovely high acidity offsets the powdery, chalky texture, with perfumed blackberries and cherries alongside hints of liquorice and cola. Rich and quite dense, but with lovely persistence and energy.

What a beautiful young wine, showing so much finesse and tension, with ultra-fine tannins and subtle and long flavors and character. It’s medium-bodied with extremely silky tannins that grow on the palate to a seamless finish. Harmonious. Another fine Pomerol for the cellar. Drink after 2027.

The 2020 Clinet has held on to that precious bouquet with heady scents of black plum, cassis and fresh fig, with more blue fruit coming through over time. Remarkably, it retains fine delineation and conceals its 15% alcohol. The palate is intense on entry, quite structured, granular in texture, with a healthy dose of cracked black pepper and a grippy yet pure finish. The 20% Cabernet Sauvignon is crucial in keeping this Clinet on an even keel, with traces of graphite toward the fresh finish. It will benefit from several years in bottle and stands as a very fine Pomerol—definitely no shy wallflower.

Elegance, refinement, and silky textures are the hallmarks of this wine. The perfume, with its licorice, flowers, mint leaves, smoke, cherries, and plums is what initially brings you in. But it is the purity of the fruit, the sensuous textures, and the opulent, graceful palate feeling that steals the show. The seamless, non-stop finish balances freshness with hedonism with its multiple layers of lusty fruits, and chocolate, with a touch of refreshing spearmint in the finish. The finish really sticks with you, which is a good thing because you never want this voluptuous stunner to end. As a side note, even though the wine clocks in at 15% ABV, there is no touch of heat or jammy qualities. Drink from 2026-2055.

Deep ruby, opaque core, purple reflections brightening at the rim. Fine noble wood spices, delicate tobacco nuances, ripe cherries, a touch of nougat, candied tangerine zest, floral touch. Juicy, rich texture, ripe plums, elegant, silky, ripe tannins, pronounced, concentrated fruit on the finish, mineral aftertaste, shows great length and balance, very harmonious. Has a very good future.

The 2020 Château Clinet checks in as a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, brought up in 80% new French oak. It's a rich yet gorgeous wine with a wonderful sense of freshness in its ripe blue and black fruits as well as tobacco, chocolate, and damp earth. Full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and elegant on the palate, it has perfect tannins, a layered, elegant mouthfeel, and one hell of an impressive finish. One of the finest Pomerols of the vintage, it will benefit from just 3–5 years of bottle age and keep for two decades.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: dense, velvety, creamy, finely opulent bouquet, strawberry jelly, praline cream, coconut. Dense, creamy, fruity palate with powerful, sweet aromatics, a dense, velvety structure, intense fruit, plenty of fine tannins, very long, dense, fresh finish.

Dense, velvety, creamy, finely opulent bouquet: strawberry jelly, praline cream, coconut. Dense, creamy, fruity palate with powerful, sweet aromatics, dense, velvety structure, bold fruit, plenty of fine tannins, very long, dense, fresh finish. 19/20 2026 - 2048

Chiselled and impressive, with shoulders and clear depth to the fruit; it's a big wine, don’t underestimate that, but there is real succulence to the damson fruits, black cherry jam and smoked caramel. Pomegranate and redcurrant add pulses of fresher fruit, and give lift to the plentiful tannins. Plenty to love here — this is extremely Clinet and extremely Pomerol. 80% new oak. Ronan Laborde owner.

94-95

A resonant, self-assured nose that greets us with notes of very ripe plums. A graceful, satiny, languorous and sensual palate with a triumphant aura.

The 2020 shows freshness through subtle floral and mineral nuances. Lively on the attack, the wine has compact, velvety, and perfectly integrated tannins. They provide breadth and deliver power in a precise, accomplished way. In short, Clinet 2020 is elegant, balanced, harmonious. No heaviness, lots of finesse. A brilliant wine in its ability to transcend the vintage. It is inviting, characterful, and precise.

Certainly the greatest Clinet I have tasted. Dark, intense, beautiful color. Highly aromatic nose, fruity, ripe, and subtle. Swirling reveals it to be more intense, creamier, deeper. Broad on entry, precise in texture yet rich mid-palate, with a melting core and plenty of flavor, the wine unfolds over a very fine tannic frame on which it never stops gliding. Long, deep finish, sapid and noble. It’s superb.

Clinet 2020 is utterly seductive, intense and aromatic, unfolding a generous, satiny black-fruit perfume with discreet floral hints. The palate is dense, creamy, generous and heady, displaying finely sculpted tannins, subtly candied notes and an elegant overall harmony.

93–95. Barrel Sample. This wine's dense tannins and bold black fruits are balanced by its fine acidity and a fresh element that cuts through the dark chocolate and black plum flavors to give a fine lift to what will be an impressive wine as it matures.