Château Clinet 2023

Jane Anson - Inside Bordeaux

The Wine Independent

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Lilacs, violets, smoke, spice, cherries, plums, licorice, orange rind, and chocolate mint fill the aromatic profile. On the palate, the wine is energetic, vibrant, long, and up-beat. The fruit offers purity, persistence, length, and width. It takes a few sips before you find its heart. But, once you do, it's apparent that the layers of vibrant, red fruits, complicated by the nuances of orange zest, are special. The refined, silky, finish builds as it lingers. The keys to the vintage here were the combination of cloudy summer skies with heat spells in September. In the cellars this is the first vintage with a pre-maceration cool-down which helped protect the grapes from oxidation. The wine blends 75% Merlot with 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. 14% ABV, 3.7 pH. Harvesting took place September 13 - September 20 for the Merlot, and September 25-26 for the Cabernet. Drink from 2027-2060.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

Rich and layered, the 2023 Clinet wafts from the glass with aromas of dark berries, spices and licorice, framed by creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and complete, with a rich chassis of powdery tannin underpinning its sweet core of fruit, it concludes with a broad, vanillin-inflected finish. As is routinely the case at this address, it's a successfully rendered Pomerol in a more modern style.

Jeb Dunnuck

A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 18 months in 60% new French oak, the 2023 Château Clinet is a brilliant Pomerol that shows how successful this appellation was in 2023. Its deep purple hue is followed by powerful aromatics of ripe darker berries, graphite, tobacco, and chocolate. Rich, full-bodied, and concentrated on the palate, it has a beautiful overall sense of balance, ripe, polished tannins, and a great finish. It offers pleasure today yet deserves 3-5 years in the cellar and will have 20-25 years of prime drinking. Bravo. Drink 2026-2051.

James Suckling

The orange peel, flower and purple fruit aromas are so enticing. It’s medium-bodied with ultra-fine tannins that are long and integrated, delivering finesse and length. There’s a classy and restrained nature to this. 75% merlot and 25% cabernet sauvignon. Best after 2028.