Château CLINET 2022

Description

Yves Beck 96-97 points www.yvesbeck.wine
Le bouquet de Clinet se révèle pas à pas. Il a un évident focus sur des notes de baies noires ainsi qu’une pointe de fraîcheur. Il révèle également des notes de pralinés, des nuances de menthe ainsi qu’une touche florale. Un “melting-pot” entre le charme et la fraîcheur. En bouche le vin est crémeux, élégant, suave, compact et tapissant. Que de grâce, de souplesse. Tout est cohérent, linéaire. Les tannins confèrent une agréable sucrosité et assurent une évidente puissance, parfaitement canalisée. Pour terminer, et c’est un point élémentaire quant à la fraîcheur, le vin a de la tension en fin de bouche ! L’harmonie est acquise, le charme et la grandeur également.  2028-2047 

Jean-Marc Quarin 97 points www.quarin.com
Couleur sombre, intense et pourpre. Nez très aromatique, au fruité mûr et frais. Subtil. Minutieux en entrée de bouche, très aromatique au milieu, avec un corps plein et juteux, le vin évolue avec de la classe dans le toucher, sans jamais se départir de la nature historiquement moelleuse du cru. C’est long, fondant, très bon et sans angle tannique. Remarquez la présence de 20 % de cabernet sauvignon (planté en 1950) + 80 % merlot.

Antonio Galloni 94-96 www.vinous.com
The 2022 Clinet is terrific. Vibrant, aromatic and beautifully sculpted, Clinet is also a terrific example of the energy quality-minded winemakers were able to achieve in 2022. Crushed rose petals, spice, blood orange, mint and white pepper give Clinet a compelling upper register of presence in the bouquet. Wonderfully delineated, Clinet builds effortlessly into the mid-palate and finish, where a closing burst of red/purplish fruit framed by clean mineral notes leaves a lasting impression. This is stellar. Tasted two times.

Georgina Hindle 96 points  www.decanter.com
Streamlined and sleek, silky smooth but also gorgeously textured, clean and clear with grip and interest. Less fleshy and chewy than some, more charming and elegant with tannins that have a weight in the mouth. There is clear power and concentration underneath the juicy acidity with a straight backbone and direct energy from start to finish. Appealing layers of salinity, blackcurrant fruit, creamy vanilla, cool cola touches and crushed stones on the finish. Feels well made and sophisticated. 3.74pH. A yield of 34hl/ha. Earliest harvest ever starting on 6 September for Merlot and 20 and 21 September for Cabernet Sauvignon.

William Kelley 94-96+ points www.erobertparker.com
A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon that represents the earliest harvest in this estate’s history (beginning on September 6), the 2022 Clinet is a success, offering up aromas of cherries and dark berries mingled with hints of spices and a discreet patina of new oak. Medium to full-bodied, ample and layered, it’s impressively vibrant, with a rich core of fruit framed by powdery tannins from judicious extraction. This has more in common with the more refined 2018 and 2019 vintages at this address than with the powerhouse 2020, and that is no mean feat in an even more extreme vintage. Bravo to Ronan Laborde and his team.

Neal Martin 94-96 www.vinous.com
The 2022 Clinet is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon picked from 6-21 September at around 34hL/ha. There were apparently many bunches, but the berries were small. Aged in 80% new oak and 20% 2nd fill barrels, the 2022 offers black fruit on the nose with traces of Japanese nori probably emanating from the Cabernet. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, well-judged acidity and a fine backbone that gently grips the mouth. This is a linear Pomerol with impressive delineation on the almost pastille-like finish. I appreciate this Clinet’s persistence and discrete spiciness on the aftertaste. Excellent. But it is a vintage that requires time in bottle.

Jeb Dunnuck 96-98 points www.jebdunnuck.com
The 2022 Château Clinet showed beautifully, with an almost Médoc-like style in its darker cassis, graphite, cedar pencil, and tobacco aromas and flavors. Full-bodied on the palate, it has ripe, velvety tannins, a round, layered mouthfeel, and remarkable purity. Pomerol was one of the erratic appellations in 2022, but this beauty does everything right and brings a beautiful mix of richness and elegance. It should round into form with just short-term bottle age and evolve for two decades. The blend is the usual 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.