CHÂTEAU CLINET
2018 Pomerol
85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. 75% new oak. 38 hl / ha. Lots of primary fruit on the nose. Smooth dark deep fruit - good concentration - some oak and violet notes adds complexity. The focused Cabernet fruit gives the wine a structured edge throughout. A very smart Clinet. Drinking range: 2030 - 2045L&S (Apr 2019)
* 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.
Higher Cabernet Sauvignon than usual because of the earmy season frost, giving a blend that nods back to 19th century Clinet where Cabernet was up to 50% of the plantings. Plenty of depth and chewy almost sticky tannins, well textured black cherry fruits, with cocoa bean, graphite and a slate-filled texture that pulls it all back into shape. 75% new oak barrels for ageing. Ronan Laborde owner. 38hl/h yield. Drinking range: 2026 - 2044 Rating: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2023)
Confident, poised, layers of graphite, slate, chocolate shavings, dark blackcurrant and blueberry fruits. These are big tannins that are going to need another five to 8 years in bottle, but the decadence is already clear, and this is a wine that is going to impress any table that it is served at in years to come. Drinking range: 2026 - 2044 Rating: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter (Oct 2021)
The 2018 Clinet is a powerful, reticent wine that is going to need at least a few years in bottle to become approachable. Today, the tannins are especially forbidding, Inky dark red fruit, iron, cedar, mint, licorice and dried herbs give Clinet its signature profile marked by savory Cabernet Sauvignon aromas and flavors. This is a terrific showing from Clinet and proprietor Ronan Laborde. Drinking range: 2026 - 2038 Rating: 94 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
The 2018 Clinet, which was cropped at 38hl/ha, has an exquisite bouquet of lavish black cherry and raspberry fruit, and still those bunches of violets I observed from barrel, flanked by potpourri. The aromatics are well defined and the new oak seamlessly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit. It has firmed up since I tasted in barrel, when I noted that it felt like a "muscular" Clinet in the making. That trait is emphasized in bottle, and those accustomed to the more hedonistic Clinets of yore might find it a tad more reserved and drier. But it is a style that suits it well. White pepper leaves the mouth tingling after it has departed, the fitting conclusion to a superb – dare I say cerebral? – Clinet that has a long and prosperous future. Drinking range: 2023 - 2045 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Mar 2021)
Blackberries and blueberries with subtle black chocolate and violets on the nose, following to a full-bodied palate with polished, creamy tannins. Beautiful balance and really refined texture. Drink after 2024, but already so gorgeous. Rating: 96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2021)
85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon; 75% new oak. Barrel sample. Black core, purple rim. Intense cassis, a touch minty, but also a slightly intrusive aroma that I think must come from the oak. For now at least, the tannins and the oak are pretty overwhelming thought I can detect lovely fruit underneath. Really chewy. (JH) Drinking range: 2025 - 2030 Rating: 16 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2019)
The 2018 Château Clinet is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon (which is more Cabernet than usual) that was brought up in slightly more new oak than normal, aging in 75% new and 25% once used French oak. Sporting a saturated purple color, it has a massive perfume of black and blue fruits, crushed violets, spice, and orange blossom. Full-bodied, deep, expansive, and layered on the palate, it's an incredibly hedonistic and sexy wine that shows the best of this great vintage. It’s going to be hard to resist on release and knock your socks off over the following two decades or more. Rating: 96-99 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Apr 2019)
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2018 Clinet begins a little coy and then, with coaxing, opens out to vibrant black cherries, kirsch, baked plums and cinnamon stick scents with hints of cloves and anise plus earthy truffles and fungi wafts. Full-bodied and chock-full of bright, energetic fruit, it has a firm, finely grained structure and long, fragrant finish. The blend is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aging is anticipated to last for 16 months in French oak barriques, 75% new. Rating: 94-96 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Apr 2019)
This is a young red that really grows on the palate with so much dark fruit and firm yet luscious tannins. Full-bodied, it grows and grows on the palate. Extremely long and vivid. Solid as a rock. 15 per cent cabernet sauvignon, the rest merlot. Rating: 95-96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2019)
Here we have a blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, with a yield of 38 hl/ha in this vintage. The alcohol is 14.5%. This barrel sample presents a dark and perfumed nose, with some leafy blackcurrant fruits. The palate is fresh, relaxed, open and broad, with a confident style, firmly medium-bodied, cut through by a seam of polished, ripe, tightly grained but very precise tannins. It has a firm, bold, broad and convincing character, with perfumed wild cherries and spiced plums warmly wrapped in a blanket of vanillin oak at the moment. Lots of substance here, with a delicious tannin backbone at its heart, and a fresh grip in the finish. Fine potential. The élevage will be in 75% new oak and 25% second-fill oak. Rating: 94-96 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2019)
A perfumed wine with fine tannins, this is packed with a blackberry flavor and finishes with intense acidity. All the elements are in place for a wine that will reveal great elegance as it develops. Rating: 95 Roger Voss, Wine Enthusiast www.winemag.com (Apr 2019)
One of the star Pomerol names showing us how it’s done in 2018. This wine absolutely stands out, being beautifully vibrant and very polished, where you feel the individual strands of flavour and know it’s clearly going to age. Here you get licks of salted rosemary sprigs right on the nose followed by a silkiness and round mouthfeel that speaks to the alcohol but you certainly don't feel it. It’s well judged, very Pomerol, and on the dark side of the fruit scale, perhaps because this is Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, not Cabernet Franc. I found Clinet a little difficult to approach in 2017, giving it a highly recommended but at the low end of the scale, but here it is roaring back to form. Drinking range: 2027 - 2044 Rating: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter (Mar 2019)
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 on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at 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 £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2022 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2025. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
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). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2025. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.