Castle Clinet - Pomerol 2013

Wine Advocate

91 / 100

byNeal Martinthe10/28/2016

The 2013 Clinet was one of the better wines that I tasted from barrel. Indeed both Robert Parker and I scored this Pomerol around the same mark and now it is in bottle, it has fulfilled my expectations as a delicious, easy-going, but still well-crafted wine from Ronan Laborde. It has a delicate but precise bouquet that gains intensity in the glass, cassis and a touch of wild mint, ground pepper emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with slightly grainy tannin that need another 12-18 months to soften, however there is adequate fruit underneath with a linear, slightly sappy finish. Enjoy this over the next 10-12 years.

Wine Spectator

91 / 100

the3/31/2016

Jamessuckling.com

91 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe2/15/2016

Aromas of black berry, blue berry, and wet earth. Full body, firm and silky tannins. A little hollow in the mid-palate but give it time to come together. Better in 2018.

Wine Advocate

91-93 / 100

byRobert Parkerthe8/29/2014

A terrific success and star in this vintage, this blend of 90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc came from a mere 25 acres of vineyard and averaged 33 hectoliters per hectare, with close to 13% natural alcohol. The entire harvest took place September 30-October 12. The wine is impressive in this vintage, its beautiful, dense, blue/black color is followed by a striking nose of creme de cassis, blackberry fruit, charcoal and a hint of camphor. The wine is rich and medium to full-bodied, displaying surprising texture, depth and breadth. This is a rich wine with good acidity and ripe tannin. It is a relatively big boy for the vintage and should drink well in 2-3 years and last up to 15 or more. It is so good, it is clearly a sleeper of the vintage, even though Clinet has been doing fabulous work for a number of years.

Falstaff

90-92 / 100

byPeter Moserthe5/22/2014

Dunkles Rubingranat, violette Reflexe, zarter Wasserrand, feinwürzig unterlegte attraktive dunkle Beerenfrucht, zart nach Orangenzesten, etwas Nougat. Saftig, reife Pflaumen-Kirsch- Frucht, elegante Textur, angenehme Extraktsüße, feiner Säurebogen, zeigt gute Länge, einiges Entwicklungspotenzial.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

86-88 / 100

byStephen Tanzerthe5/16/2014

Dark ruby.  Initially very leafy, almost medicinal nose became fruitier with air.  Then pungently aromatic on the palate, with strong notes of underbrush and pine cone dominating the delicate small dark berry flavors.  With its rather extreme tannins, this seems over-extracted to me and I wonder if it will ever come into balance.  But it does have above-average density and texture for the vintage, so I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and see what develops over the next two years. 

matthewjukes.com

18 / 20

byMatthew Jukesthe4/23/2014

(90 Merlot, 9 Cabernet Sauvignon, 1 Cabernet Franc). 13.2% alcohol. Ronan Laborde explained that they undertook some really serious work in the vineyard and this resulted in yields of 33hl/ha – so not too catastrophic. This is a very intense wine which shows surprisingly tender fruit. With a hefty 85 IPT this is one of the inkier-hued wines of the vintage but it is exotic and hedonistic. They suffered no hail at all here and only lost Merlot thanks to the poor flowering. The very warm period in July is to thank for the exotic fruit notes. I find this sort of wine very enticing and exciting given its sexy frame and lissom alcohol and this makes it one of the rare 2013s which I scored higher than their 2012.

Vinous

90-93 / 100

byAntonio Gallonithe4/18/2014

The 2013 Clinet is terrific. Dark red and blue fruits, new leather, violets, menthol and sweet spices meld together in a wine of rare distinction for the year. This is one of the more pliant, expressive 2013s readers will come across. The finish is long, silky and polished. The oak needs time to fully integrated, but I don't think that is going to be a problem. This is a terrific showing.

Decanter.com

16,75 / 20

bySteven Spurrierthe4/15/2014

Pure and Burgundian in profile. Lighter weight and frame. Attractive but a  little pinched on the finish.

My Bettane + Desseauve

16 / 20

the4/15/2014

La gourmandise du pomerol dans le millésime, raffiné, charmeur.

Wine Advocate

90-92 / 100

byNeal Martinthe4/15/2014

A blend of 90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 1% Cabernet Franc (the highest percentage of Merlot ever) the Clinet 2013 was picked between 30 September until 12 October, finishing with the two Cabernets. Ronan Laborde told me that it was the most compact harvest he had undertaken: 4½ days within 13 days, the fruit selected through an optical sorting machine. The level of new oak is 60%, up from 2012, because Jean-Michel thought the fruit was good enough, with an IPT of 85 compared to 75. The nose takes some time to unfurl, broody and reticent at first, revealing redcurrant and cranberry scents mixed with dried flowers with time. The palate is well balanced with quite linear tannins, the oak nicely integrated and lending this Clinet good depth. It is a more masculine Clinet without the length of a great Château Clinet, but clean and pure. It will need 5 or 6 years to unwind after bottling.

Jamessuckling.com

90-91 / 100

byJames Sucklingthe4/8/2014

A 2013 with attractive mineral, salt and iron character, plus a creamy acidity. Medium body solid core of fruit and a fresh finish. Very good concentration for the vintage.      

René Gabriel

17 / 20

byRené Gabrielthe4/4/2014

90 % Merlot, 9 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 1 % Cabernet Franc. Tiefes Purpur, satt in der Mitte, Granatschimmer am Rand. Fein rauchiges, schwarzberiges Bouquet, ansprechender Duft, recht vielschichtig. Saftiger, feiner Gaumen, schöne dunkle Aromatik, feine Schwarzteenoten und noble Schwarzschokobitterkeit.

Wine Spectator

87-90 / 100

byJames Molesworththe4/3/2014

Offers a fresh, racy feel, with raspberry and bitter cherry notes followed by a blood orange accent. Modest spice accents show on the finish. —J.M.

Wine Enthusiast

93-95 / 100

byRoger Vossthe3/31/2014

A rich and structured wine, this combines both the ripeness of mature Merlot and a solid, dry texture. It’s full, with a good future.