L'Eglise Clinet 1998 (750ML)

97 WS / 96 WA / 18.5 JR

Aromas of dark chocolate and blackberry, with hints of black olives. Full-bodied, with chewy, polished tannins and loads of ripe fruit, tapenade and flowers. A complex and complete wine. Still needs time. One of the best ever from here.-Wine Spectator

The Château l'Eglise-Clinet 1998 has developed an absolutely stunning bouquet: precocious, glycerin-rich red cherries, cassis, violets and minerals all beautifully defined and so intense. The palate is full-bodied with ripe tannin, layers of sweet blackberry and wild strawberry fruit intermingling with white pepper, cumin, black truffle and tar. There is a crescendo towards the finish that just fans out across the mouth. After 17 years (which makes me feel old, as I remember tasting it from barrel), it is a Pomerol that will take on all comers in the appellation with the exception of the 1998 Petrus. It will give 40-50 years worth of drinking pleasure. Tasted March 2015.-Robert M. Parker, Jr., The Wine Advocate

In bottle. Dark crimson. Much much fresher on the nose than the magnum opened earlier. Direct and rich with real energy. Still with lots of tannins as well as the mix of ripe fruit and char. Great length and vitality. Chocolate and raciness. Still lots of potential. Still energetic tannins on the end. Fireworks.-Jancis Robinson