Details
Château Clinet
I never really had much to do with Clinet until quite recently : firstly because until 1991 it belonged to the Libournais Audy, who looked after most of its distribution so I didn't have access to it commercially and I had to wait for Jean-Louis Arcaute to open up the distribution when he bought the property in 1999 ; secondly, if I am desperately honest, it was not really my or my very traditional customers' style of wine, being totally opulent and rather fat and spicy, and by that token more suited to those who loved such big wines (and Parker was a great advocate of Clinet).
Nevertheless, I got on very well with Jean-Louis, largely through an annual event that we sponsored together every year in Washington : the Hearts Delight, a charity tasting, auction and dinners by great chefs in aid of research on heart disease. We would be at the bar in the evening and one time he introduced me to a smart young man who turned out to be Ronan his son who would eventually take over the estate in 2004. I remember being impressed by his drive. Meantime, the wines had been totally transformed since the late 70s into the above-mentioned level of quality by a certain Jean-Michel Arcaute who had worked for the Audy's and then for Laborde. He was one of the first in the region to do leaf-plucking, crop-thinning, picking at ultra-ripeness, hand harvesting in crates, malo-lactic in barrel, more and better new oak and for longer. The results started to be noticed in a big way in the early 80s and made Clinet very successful. When Jean-Michel died suddenly in 2001 in a boating accident, Ronan ended up taking the reins in 2004 and initiated his own little revolution, which he considered more in tune with his more finesse-oriented times, replanting 20% of the vineyard immediately at increased density and in the cellar, reducing the amount of new oak.
There is one vintage, the '05, in this sale that demonstrates this newfound finesse without losing its intense, chocolatey, textured and smooth personality. It was applauded at our Southwold blind tasting in 2008 like never before as a wine of total balance and very high quality. The previous vintages were much more plummy, fatter and more opulent in their aromas and tastes of oriental spice from the barrels and of figs from the very ripe fruit.
The '03, that ultra hot summer that caused shut-down of the vines in Pomerol more than anywhere else, is an interesting wine because it was deliberately under-vinified and has ended up very aromatic and soft. The '01, Jean-Michel's last vintage and the last of the 100% Merlots, was soft in the extreme but I am sure it has held up fine ; the '96 was remarkably similar. The '00, fleshy and very ripe ; the '99 the odd one out in this series, being unusually elegant and fresh ; the '98 very strongly made so presumably still drinking fine ; and the '95, as you would expect, showing its tannins a bit more.
But if you want to taste the summum of the previous opulent style of Clinet, then don't miss the velvety, spicy '90 and the silky but firmer '89, both at their absolute prime now.
Château Clinet 1989
Pomerol
In original twelve-bottle wooden case. Good appearance. Levels: into-neck
6 bottles per lot
I never really had much to do with Clinet until quite recently : firstly because until 1991 it belonged to the Libournais Audy, who looked after most of its distribution so I didn't have access to it commercially and I had to wait for Jean-Louis Arcaute to open up the distribution when he bought the property in 1999 ; secondly, if I am desperately honest, it was not really my or my very traditional customers' style of wine, being totally opulent and rather fat and spicy, and by that token more suited to those who loved such big wines (and Parker was a great advocate of Clinet).
Nevertheless, I got on very well with Jean-Louis, largely through an annual event that we sponsored together every year in Washington : the Hearts Delight, a charity tasting, auction and dinners by great chefs in aid of research on heart disease. We would be at the bar in the evening and one time he introduced me to a smart young man who turned out to be Ronan his son who would eventually take over the estate in 2004. I remember being impressed by his drive. Meantime, the wines had been totally transformed since the late 70s into the above-mentioned level of quality by a certain Jean-Michel Arcaute who had worked for the Audy's and then for Laborde. He was one of the first in the region to do leaf-plucking, crop-thinning, picking at ultra-ripeness, hand harvesting in crates, malo-lactic in barrel, more and better new oak and for longer. The results started to be noticed in a big way in the early 80s and made Clinet very successful. When Jean-Michel died suddenly in 2001 in a boating accident, Ronan ended up taking the reins in 2004 and initiated his own little revolution, which he considered more in tune with his more finesse-oriented times, replanting 20% of the vineyard immediately at increased density and in the cellar, reducing the amount of new oak.
There is one vintage, the '05, in this sale that demonstrates this newfound finesse without losing its intense, chocolatey, textured and smooth personality. It was applauded at our Southwold blind tasting in 2008 like never before as a wine of total balance and very high quality. The previous vintages were much more plummy, fatter and more opulent in their aromas and tastes of oriental spice from the barrels and of figs from the very ripe fruit.
The '03, that ultra hot summer that caused shut-down of the vines in Pomerol more than anywhere else, is an interesting wine because it was deliberately under-vinified and has ended up very aromatic and soft. The '01, Jean-Michel's last vintage and the last of the 100% Merlots, was soft in the extreme but I am sure it has held up fine ; the '96 was remarkably similar. The '00, fleshy and very ripe ; the '99 the odd one out in this series, being unusually elegant and fresh ; the '98 very strongly made so presumably still drinking fine ; and the '95, as you would expect, showing its tannins a bit more.
But if you want to taste the summum of the previous opulent style of Clinet, then don't miss the velvety, spicy '90 and the silky but firmer '89, both at their absolute prime now.
Château Clinet 1989
Pomerol
In original twelve-bottle wooden case. Good appearance. Levels: into-neck
6 bottles per lot
Special notice
On lots marked with an + in the catalogue, VAT will be charged at 7.7% on both the premium as well as the hammer price.
Brought to you by
Edwin Vos