CHÂTEAU CLINET 2011

Château Clinet 2011

“Clinet has produced a blockbuster wine, even in the lighter, less consistent vintage of 2011. It reveals a dense purple color as well as an abundance of black cherry, black currant and blackberry fruit intermixed with licorice, incense and a touch of camphor. Full-bodied, opulent and fleshy with a substantial finish, this showy, dramatic 2011 should drink well for 15-20 years. Brilliant!” – 95/100, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

VARIETIES: 85% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc
REGION: France / Bordeaux / Libournais / Pomerol
AGEING: Aged for 16 months in 55% new oak barrels, and 45% 1 yr old barrels
GUARDING POTENTIAL: Enjoy now or will cellar well up to 15 years
SERVE: Serve at 16 – 18ºC
FITS TO: Paired nicely with simply roasted red meats, pork and light game
CRITICS SCORES: 95/RP, 93/WE, 93/WS, 92/JS
VIVINO: Average 4.3 ★★★★✰

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2011 | Vintage | Château Clinet

Château Clinet is one of the most famous estates in the Pomerol appellation, or even in the world. Listed as a 1st growth of Pomerol in 1893, Château Clinet’s history goes back to the 17th century.

The Château Clinet vineyard covers an area of only 11 hectares and is made up of gravelly soils, deep clays and iron drosses. The grape varieties, typical of the appellation, are dominated by Merlot (85%) and complemented by Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon (10% and 5% respectively). The grapes are harvested manually at over-maturity before being vinified in oak vats and then matured in barrels (60% to 100% new depending on the needs of the vintage).

Château Clinet 2011
Spring’s extreme weather conditions caused concern that with such excessive heat this would be a tricky vintage to manage. In this particular climatic context, Château CLINET adapted its cultural strategy to make sure of an even ripening of the grapes. Summer was without excessively hot weather which helped the maturity to proceed homogeneously.

The harvest was the earliest ever recorded at the property. It began on September 7 and finished with the legendary 75-year-old vines on the Pomerol plateau. Château CLINET continued its policy of picking plot by plot, at perfect phenolic ripeness, spreading out the 7 harvesting days along a time-line of 19 days.

Chateau Clinet 2011 displays an ink-purple color. Very exuberant and enchanting on the nose, it reveals aromas of wild raspberries and strawberries, together with blackberries and plums in syrup, mingling subtly with essence of vanilla and licorice. Silky and intense on the palate, its soft texture coats the freshly picked wild fruits sprinkled with spices. Production: 4,580 cases made.