Clos l'Eglise 2004

This chunky-styled Pomerol displays notes of sweet cherries, smoked herbs, licorice, chocolate, and espresso roast. Medium-bodied, fleshy, and corpulent, it is a fruity, fleshy effort that should drink well for 8-10+ years.

Shows intense blackberry, with other dark fruits and just a hint of coffee. Full-bodied, with lovely fruit, chewy tannins and a long, fruity, caressing finish. Best after 2010. 1,575 cases made.

This is a beautiful wine with black truffle, dark berries, chocolate and violets. Medium- to full-bodied, layered and enticing. The length and focus are excellent for this vintage.

Ruby-red. Deep aromas and flavors of roasted black raspberry and chocolate. Rich, chewy and deep; this really spreads out to saturate the entire palate. Finishes with compelling sweetness and breadth, with substantial horizontal tannins. This boasts an almost exotic ripeness in the context of the vintage.

An early-drinking vintage from this chateau, which normally takes much longer to come around. There’s a nice touch of dark chocolate atop red and black plums, herbs, and earthy, medium-bodied characteristics. Close to mature, it could improve and soften a bit with time, but it’s drinking well today.

Dense ruby-purple color. Delicate, perfumed mulberry bouquet with a lovely, direct fruit expression. On the palate, velvety and concentrated, again conveying plenty of berry notes. The finish brings elderberry and tea notes, still a touch extracted, but with impressive potential.

Medium-dark garnet. Sweet, expansive bouquet with red currant pastilles, floral notes, stewed red plums, and the first cocoa notes from ripening Merlot. Firm, dense palate with meaty extract, still gently abrasive; mid-palate shows a touch of bitterness, likely from over-extraction or from press wine. If this flaw is corrected, it can still improve.

The 2004 Clos L'Eglise is deep garnet in color with a touch of brick. It gives up notes of tobacco, tilled soil, and iron ore over a core of baked plums, sautéed herbs, and smoked meats. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a solid structure of chewy tannins and just enough freshness to support the savory-laced, muscular fruit, finishing with a compelling herbal lift.

Logo on the cork: AL Dark, intense, and evolved color. Fruity, creamy nose with a hint of cedar. Caressing, fruity, pleasant palate with a straight-lined body, lacking a bit of breadth. Good finish without pronounced tannins this time.

As an indication of the ripeness of Merlot in 2004, this is a hugely rich wine, very ripe, almost raisiny in character. The fruit is dark and black, with a texture of jelly and flavors of blackberries.