Clinet 2016 (1.5L)

99 JD / 98 JA / 97 WA / 96+ VM / 96 WCI / 95 JS / 94-96+ GV / 16.5+ JR

Tasted on four separate occasions, the 2016 Château Clinet is another brilliant wine from this estate. Showing slightly more freshness and purity than the 2015, its saturated purple color is followed by a thrilling array of crème de cassis, graphite, ground herbs, and a terrific sense of minerality. Deep, full-bodied, with building tannins, and a magical sense of purity and elegance paired with real density and depth, it needs short term cellaring and will keep for three decades. - Jeb Dunnuck

Grilled sandalwood, vanilla bean, charcoal, damson and black cherry, here they get the balance exactly right between concentration and lightness of touch. Ytterly compelling, a great wine, layering brambled fruit against tighter juicy cassis and bilberry. Tannins remain grainy and slate-textured at seven years old, holding on tight, this much further to go over the next decade. I gave it 97 En primeur and this is an upscore. 65% new oak. 39hl/h yield. Ronan Laborde owner.-Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

The 2016 Clinet is composed of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. It was aged using the Oxoline system, in 70% new and 30% one-year-old barrels for 16 months. It has a deep garnet-purple color with cedar and smoked meats on the nose giving way to black and red plums and earthy notions with wafts of cassis and pencil shavings. The palate is medium to full-bodied, elegant, polished and vivacious with loads of red and black fruit layers and an earthy finish. Around 4,416 cases produced. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate

The 2016 Clinet, a blend of 88% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, was cropped at 49hl/ha and matured in 70% new oak. It has a quintessential Pomerol bouquet of vibrant floral aromas, black cherries and hints of Christmas cake and truffle. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin and very harmonious and refined. The sample at the château showed a touch more backbone than the one at the London UGC tastings, offering plenty of blackberry and black olive notes and then turning saline toward the dense, muscular finish. A classy, sophisticated Clinet that will reward those with the nous to cellar it for several years. Outstanding.- Neal Martin, Vinous Media

Beautiful blue fruit and earth with hints of black truffle, this has a violet and fragrant edge, too. Really complex, youthful impression here. The palate has mouthwatering fruit flavor and terrific sense of fresh energy and cut on the finish. A blend of 90 per cent merlot and ten per cent cabernet sauvignon. Try from 2024. - James Suckling

Nicely structured with excellent dark mineral fruit. A more elegant style of Clinet than the 2015. And with finer tannins, but with plenty of dimension and character. Definitely has the house style that one would expect from top vintage Clinet. - GVWM