2009 - L'Eglise-Clinet, Pomerol

How many dinners start with a wine like the 2009 L’Église Clinet? Not many that I go to that is for sure. When we opened this bottle to check on its soundness, I knew right away it was going to be one of the wines of the night, and it is. Wow. Bold and seamless in the glass, the 2009 L’Église Clinet is a great example of the vintage. It is obviously quite opulent, yet all the elements are magically in the right place. It’s always good to start strong, and we sure do.

Proprietor Denis Durantou has produced a blockbuster Pomerol from a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, tipping the scales at just over 14.5% natural alcohol. A riveting wine, pure, elegant, but at the same time, extremely powerful and concentrated, with stunning texture, opulence and density, the tannins are abundant, and the wine certainly in need of a decade of cellaring. Fabulous creme de cassis and cherry liqueur notes are intertwined with hints of licorice, truffle, and graphite. Full and rich, but still in an infantile state of development, this wine needs to be cellared for 10 years but should keep for five decades or more. This 2009 is absolutely profound.

Tasted blind. Blackish crimson. Heady, intense, loose and juicy. Needs a little bit of time. But there is good drive here. Long and rich. (JR)