CHÂTEAU L'ÉGLISE CLINET

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2019 L'Eglise Clinet has a powerfully fragrant nose of violets, star anise, powdered cinnamon and jasmine over a core of plum preserves, blackberry pie, Black Forest cake and camphor with wafts of crushed rocks and iron ore. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is an exercise in poise and precision, possessing remarkably well-defined, bright, energetic black fruit and minerally layers, supported by beautifully ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing with a long-lingering, mesmerizing array of earth, rock and glittery fruit nuances. This is a wine that will stop you in your tracks and demand you to think, contemplate and reflect. And if all that isn’t enough, it is also fantastically delicious. The blend this year is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc.

Following the passing of Denis Durantou earlier this year, I tasted the 2019s with Constance and Noëmie Durantou—the second and third daughters of Denis. Noëmie has been working with her father in the vineyard for the last four years and has done an enology degree at Bordeaux University. Constance lived in London for four years before returning home last year. She is working to help communicate about the vineyards and wines. As we tasted the 2019 L'Eglise Clinet together, Noëmie Durantou exclaimed, “Truffles! It smells like truffles. The clay is always doing wonders.” Her sister Constance said, “Our father was very happy with this wine. He really loved this vintage. It turned out to be a spectacular one for us—you could see the sparkle in his eyes when he spoke about the 2019.” Noëmie added, “We harvested the 18th to 26th of September. It was quite early, compared to our neighbors. We never want the berries to be overripe. It is an enchanting wine, even early on. We had smaller berries—even smaller than 2018. We had to extract very gently. We keep the fermentation temperatures very low, to extract softly. We are very gentle people. We never want to over extract anything—only take the very best.”

This last Château L’Eglise Clinet to be made by Denis Durantou is an arresting wine. My notes and score do not begin to tell the story that the aromas and flavors conjure. Let me back up by saying that I didn’t know Denis Durantou very well. Hardly at all, in fact. But I knew his wines. They are the sort of wines that take some time to get under your skin, but man, when they do, you’re hooked. Readers that follow my reviews will probably know that I’m not likely to dish out 100-point scores just because it is someone’s last wine. I was, after all, the heartless cow who did not give 100 points to Paul Pontellier’s last Margaux, even though I knew him better than Durantou. This L’Eglise Clinet is difficult to review, not because it is Durantou’s last wine, but because beyond all the quality factors, this wine so clearly, evocatively tells a story of a man’s life and achievements like very, very few wines can. How many points is that worth? For me, it’s off the scale. Rating: 98-100 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (Jun 2020)