Clos du Clocher 2021

Complex, playful, dark fruit, plums, mineral-driven, floral notes. Dense palate, lots of concentration, yet remains elegant, with silky tannins and crisp fruit, very long finish. Can age. Hard to get more Pomerol for the money.

Dark floral and black berry fragrances and some toasty aspects on the nose, rich but pure. Scintillatingly fresh and bright, the acidity is the main focus before softly gripping tannins come in and take over. Great structure but still with nuance and soft touches of minerality, mint freshness. A little tight and compact right now, but does display hints of chewy Pomerol charm and density while still being finessed. Elegant, characterful, with a long life ahead.

The 2021 Clos du Clocher retains quite an opulent bouquet, violet petals infusing the upfront black cherry and blueberry fruit. There is fine delineation and focus to the aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied, with a vein of graphite on the entry and moderate depth, showing good cohesion. An almost Left Bank finish feels just a bit drier than expected, but at least there is freshness here. It will come together with another two or three years in bottle.

Cherries, flowers, chocolate, licorice, and smoky plum notes are the key to the wine’s aromas. On the palate, the wine is supple, fresh, and vibrant, with a light, savory, herbal touch to the sweet, peppery red berries at mid-palate that carries through to the finish. The addition of more Cabernet Franc in the blend this year added a lot to the wine, with a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc. Drink from 2024–2040.

Strong ruby core, purple reflections, subtle brightening on the rim. Fine ripe plums and cherries with a hint of figs and orange zest. Juicy, medium-bodied with red berries, a touch of coconut and a mineral finish. Great with food.

Kunz barrel sample 2022: velvety, fruity, fresh bouquet, raspberry jelly, subtle elderberry, subtle nougat, delicate vanilla. Medium-bodied, fresh palate with fine, sweet fruit, a well-creamy structure, fine tannins, powerful, sweet aromatics, long, firm finish. Has room to improve.

Silky, fruity, fresh bouquet; raspberry jelly, subtle elderberry, subtle nougat, delicate vanilla. Medium-bodied, fresh palate with fine, sweet fruit, a nicely creamy structure, fine tannins, powerful sweet aromatics, long, vigorous finish. Can improve further. 17/20 2028 - 2048

The Clos du Clocher 2021 has a medium to deep garnet-purple color. It is a tad broody to start, offering glimpses at tar, sautéed herbs, and damp soil notes, before opening out to a core of juicy black plums, black raspberries, and menthol, with a touch of pencil shavings. The medium-bodied palate has a solid structure of firm, grainy tannins and bold freshness supporting the taut, muscular black fruits, finishing long and savory.

A great deal of finesse and subtlety. Inviting nuances of elderberry, plum and sweet spices appear right from the start, complemented by hints of mint and a mineral touch. Lively on the attack, the wine offers silky tannins that are perfectly in tune with the acid structure. A vibrant, elegant wine with commendable energy and a persistent finish.

The nose is fresh, racy, and offers a certain concentration and finely tuned power. It reveals notes of wild blackcurrant, blackberry and, more lightly, violet, joined by small touches of fresh blueberry, small black berries, graphite, as well as discreet hints of pepper and a subtle touch of toastiness. The palate is mineral and offers freshness, good definition, fine complexity, elegance, purity, and a lovely fresh backbone. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of fresh/juicy blackberry, juicy blackcurrant and, more lightly, cornflower/violet, combined with touches of fairly ripe red berries, fresh tobacco, star anise, as well as fine hints of chocolate (in the background). Good length. A subtle hint of lily on the finish.

Dark, intense, purple color. Very aromatic nose with pure, delicate fruit. Hints of vanilla. Precise on the attack, flavorful mid-palate; the wine caresses the palate, with a lovely burst of fruit on the finish and enveloped tannins. Normal length. Blend: 70% merlot, 30% cabernet franc. Alcohol: 13.5% – pH: 3.7. Yield: 37 hl/ha. Harvest dates: from September 30 to October 14.

A beautiful, slender and deep nose, dense, racy, finely tinged with waxy notes. The palate shows fine rectitude: the terroir of Clos du Clocher can lean towards a touch of austerity, and here there is a strict edge to the tannic structure that tightens the substance just right. It’s elegant, balanced and vertical—true to its terroir.

The 5ha Clos du Clocher has pulled off a brilliant trick in 2021, proving, as it often does, that in difficult years you should look for wines with natural density in their soils. This is powerful, with succulent blackberry and damson fruit, and it delivers cocoa bean, truffle, and bitter almond edges to deepen the effect. Natural yeast, no chaptalisation, no saignée (bleeding of the tanks in the cellar), 37 hl/ha yield, aged in 50% new oak, and 10% wine globes. In official organic conversion for the first time in 2021, but has been working this way for some time.