April 3, 2022 - Plum galore
September 19, 2021 - 12 Vintages of L’Eglise-Clinet vs La Conseillante (1993-2015): Enlightening head to head of two Pomerol heavyweights. All wines tasted single blind, not decanted. A few observations: 1) La Conseillante (LC) is the winner with 7 vs 5 wins, a higher average score (92.1 pts vs 90.8 pts) and a much better consistency over the years. 2) The LC showed more harmonious and inviting, less extracted and with a good ripeness as well as a seductive creaminess. 3) L’Eglise-Clinet (EC) only started to get good to great in the past 10 to 15 years. Most older wines showed too ripe, too extracted and often with a drying finish. 4) Not surprisingly, the best vintages got the highest scores (2015, 2010, 2009) with the highest scores awarded to the EC 2010 and 2015 (96 pts), LC 2015 (95 pts) as well as a quite strong LC 2003 (95 pts). 5) The race for the better Pomerol is open! Since 2015, L’EC got higher critic scores than LC as well as more perfect scores (11 vs 5; 17 critics/6 vintages) but I’m not yet sure if I like the riper and slightly bolder style of the EC (and LC is not really famous for its lightness or restraint either). But I got the feeling (or hope?) that the more recent vintages of EC will at least age much better than their older counterparts.
TN: A good performance in a crappy vintage. Nice coffee notes on the nose and palate with additional aromas of chocolate and dark forest berries on the palate. Not very complex but nicely precise. Nice creaminess, molten tannins and a good freshness. Sadly, with more air and swirling the wine lost its balance and got more astringent. I have rather a high tolerance for acidity, others found it astringent right out of the gate. I started with a 94+ pts rating which steadily decreased. Nevertheless, quite fun to drink which is a surprise given the weak vintage.
Decanting: Not decanted, which seems right as it got weaker with more air.
Duel: Beats La Conseillante rated 88 pts.
April 8, 2019 - Initial funk, herbs, tired cassis bouquet. Palate of cassis, smoke, tobacco, liquorice, soil, herbs. Lingering mint leave, bitterness and herbs aftertaste. The age comes through - there is no edges but the wine is lethargic and non expressive. Maybe a flawed bottle - this is off it’s prime.
March 5, 2016 - Hold for Ryan - DO NOT DRINK
June 8, 2014 - brick red revealling its age of 20+ years. Close at the opening, with very limited perfumes and taste, basically earth. Slowly opens in the dacanter and shows a clear hint of liquorice and then step by step a background of coffee and graphite. The day after its classic bordeaux nature is more evident but only one sip is left. Typical and elegant. At LT in a lonely evening with a superb T bone steak from eat's
August 10, 2013 - 1993 Horizontal - The Papies at year 20! (The Papies, Elizabeth St, London): Good colour, still dense core but the rim is bricking and shows its age. The nose is ever so classical, open, delicate and full on secondary. Light leather, earthy , tobacco and with still a decent amount of dark fruits. Light floral, herby side too. On the palate the wine shows its age but still very nice and with presence. Light fruit, almost a burgundian feel at times, well evolved and round. Not dry or with hash edges just a beautifully well aged beauty. Among the best reds we have come across for 1993. 94 and well deserved
June 6, 2008 - The under- rated wine. Typical nose of great Pomerol, quite deep and clean, lovely balance, complex wine...very delicious and seductive.
Reminds me Tertre-Roteboeuf, the last glass @ 2.30 hours, a nice fruit scent of Trotanoy appears.
It's not good but it's great...Great Wine !!!
Aftertaste : deep and linger long finished.
Drink now - 2017.......89-92/100.......