CHÂTEAU CLINET
2012 Pomerol
Love this, a beautifully characterful wine that is hugely appealing as it opens, the fruit is brambled, gourmet and well crafted, with a generous Pomerol spirit. The tannins have softened their grip at 11 years old. On the edge of ready to drink, a ton of black chocolate and pomegranate, with the slate and crushed rock edge of Clinet. One to look out for. 50% new oak, Ronan Laborde owner. Drinking range: 2023 - 2042 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2023)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
Earthy, smoked campfire notes, and a plump rich dark fruitcake character that comes in waves through the palate. Deft, not overly musclular as Clinet can be in the bigger vintages, this plays cleverly with smoke, liquorice, black tea and cracked pepper. Good quality, well textured. 34hl/ha yield. 60% new oak. Rating: 93 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (Mar 2022)
The nose has a brooding black fruited power and the palate has the richness of ripe black plum. It feels fresher towards the back bramble and some red fruited and the finish has less concentrated power. 2017-26 Rating: 89-92 Derek Smedley MW, www.dereksmedleymw.co.uk (Dec 2013)
The Clinet was started early on 8th September for the young vines, picked at just 12hl/ha and returning on the 14th to tackle the young vines. It was then picked 10th, 20th, 26th and 27th September for the Merlot, the 9th October for the old Merlot vines and the Cabernets the following day. That means it was picked over 32 days, the teams of pickers returning several times to the same plot in order to pick at the optimal ripeness. The alcohol level is 13.2%, more the 1-degree less than the 2010 and it was cropped at 34hl/ha. Clinet was expanded in 2011, so the blend is now 90% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Cabernet Franc and Ronan told me that he is considering increasing the percentage of Cabernet in the future. There is fine precision on the nose with marine influences – hints of Japanese nori and seashells developing in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied and very natural with fine tannins. This is a less hedonistic Clinet for sure, but very well balanced and full of character, perhaps reflecting the terroir with more clarity. With modest length, this is a well-crafted Clinet for medium-term drinking. Rating: 91-93 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2013)
Although hardly comparable to what Clinet achieved in both 2009 and 2010, the 2012 Clinet is another star of the vintage. A powerful, full-bodied, muscular Pomerol, it reveals a dense purple color in addition to lots of opulence, a layered, full-bodied richness (somewhat atypical for the vintage), beautiful density and plenty of mocha, black cherry, truffle and graphite notes. It is a surprisingly full yet accessible Clinet that will be drinkable long before the 2009 and 2010 hit their plateaus of maturity. Drink the 2012 over the next 15 years. 2013 - 2028 Rating: 92 - 94+ Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate, www.RobertParker.com (Apr 2013)
Ronan Laborde invited me to go and taste his wine via Twitter this year, which may well be a first. I’m glad I dropped in, because this confirms the improvements in recent years. The Cabernet gives the wine a little lift and a touch of graphite to complement the oaky, but elegantly detailed Merlot. Drink: 2020-30 Rating: 93 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (Apr 2013)
Inky with black core. Very ripe damsons and something meaty. Leaner on the palate than I expected and slightly hard. Dry, fine grained but a little flat at the end. 2016 - 2022. Rating: 15.5 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2013)
Intense nose. Dark fruit and chocolate notes. Plump mid-palate. Fresh and lively on the palate. Good length. Harmonious, even a little restrained. Drink: 2019 - 2028. Rating: 17 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2013)
Rating: 18 Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Apr 2013)
Features a thick, ripe feel, with plum sauce and blackberry paste notes that drip slowly as licorice snap and roasted apple wood fill in the finish. A more overtly hedonistic style of Pomerol, retaining good balance. Rating: 91-94 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2013)
Château Clinet
Château Clinet lies at the heart of Pomerol on a bed of Günz gravel. Now owned by Jean-Louis Laborde who, in 2003, appointed his 23 year old son as Estate Managing Director. Improvements implemented by the previous owners, the Audy family, have been strengthened by the Labordes and they continue to employ the services of Michel Rolland. Only 9ha of vineyard, planted with 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, with vines at 40 years old. Grapes are hand-harvested, and the wines aged in 60% new wood barriques, with the balanced being just one year old.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.