Chateau Clinet 2014

JAMES SUCKLING: "A tight and subtle wine with very pretty ripe-fruit character and chocolate. Medium to full body. Needs time to open. Better in 2020. "

JEB DUNNUCK: "For whatever reason, Chateau Clinet was not interested in having their 2015 tasted for this report and I was unable to taste it during my trip through the region. I’ll do my best to review it from bottle once it’s available in the United States. Nevertheless, I purchased a bottle of the 2014 Château Clinet locally and it showed beautifully, revealing a deep purple color, loads of plum, crème de cassis, spice-box, dried flowers, and graphite aromas and flavors, full-bodied richness, and a terrific minerality the developed with time in the glass. This is an elegant, balanced, beautifully pure 2014 that’s very much in the style of the vintage. It will keep for 20+ years."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Much better in bottle, the wine has added more richness and weight. The dark red fruits are ripe, sweet and fresh, there is a supple, sensuous quality to the tannins and length in the finish. This should be even better with 3-5 years in the bottle."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Dark in profile, featuring a steeped core of fig and blackberry fruit that melds with roasted apple wood and ganache notes through the finish. Shows plenty of muscle, but the refined structure leads to a very long finish, boding well for the cellar. Best from 2020 through 2035. 4,750 cases made."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2014 Clinet was a wine that perplexed when I tasted it from barrel and as a consequence, it was one that I went back and retasted three or four times during that primeur campaign. Now in bottle, the bouquet has improved and developed more fruit concentration, armed with red plum, wild strawberry and blueberry scents. The palate is medium-bodied and quite refined, certainly not as opulent as other vintages from the estate, perhaps just missing a persistence on the angular finish. It is not a bad Clinet by a long stretch, it just feels a little constricted, especially compared to say the 2010 or 2015. I tasted this on three occasions, drawing the same conclusion each time."

WEINWISSER: "90 % Merlot, 9 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 1 % Cabernet Franc. Sattes Purpur-Granat, dicht in der Mitte, lila Schimmer aussen. Heidelbeeren und Cassis im aromatischen, aber auch etwas schlanken Nasenansatz zeigend. Im Gaumen noch aromatischer als in der Nase, extrem viel Cassis und von der Aromatik her sehr frisch und präzise, aromatisches Finale. Für 18/20 fehlt ihm vielleicht eine Nuance Fleisch und auch etwas Fett. Aber Spass machen wird er auf alle Fälle und er hat auch ein recht gutes Alterungspotential."