| Region of Production: | Pomerol AOP |
| Winery Location: | Pomerol |
| Year Established: | 19th century |
| Classification: | None |
Vineyard Holdings
4.5 ha
- 90% Merlot
- 10% Cabernet Franc
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Château L’Eglise Clinet, Pomerol: Grand vin. 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc (2015 vintage). Fermented in stainless steel tanks. Aged for 14 months in approximately 80% new barrels. First vintage labeled L’Eglise Clinet was 1955.
- La Petite Eglise, Pomerol: Second wine. Harvested from the estate’s youngest vines, as well as purchased fruit. Inaugural vintage 1986.
Average Total Production
- 20,000 bottles
Summary
The wines of L’Eglise Clinet are often admired for their relative value in comparison to other Pomerol heavyweights. The estate took form over the course of the 19th century, first resembling today’s incarnation in 1882 when parcels were merged upon a marriage between the Rouchut-Frérot and Constant families, owners of Clos L’Eglise and Château Clinet, respectively. In 1983, their descendent Denis Durantou took over the family estate, which had employed the name Château L’Eglise Clinet since the 1950s. Durantou continues to run the property, rejecting more modernist winemaking practices. The vineyard sits atop the Pomerol plateau, adjacent to the town’s cemetery, primarily on clay and gravel soils.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Denis Durantou is well known for his “traditional” approach to winemaking in Pomerol. Sorting is performed in the vineyard, and harvest begins early in the season to preserve the acidity of the fruit. Temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks are the only modern influence on winemaking; contemporary techniques including cold soaks, micro-oxygenation, and malolactic fermentation in barrel are avoided. After a long fermentation, the wine is aged for 14 months in barriques, roughly 80% new. La Petite Eglise comes from the property’s youngest vines, as well as fruit purchased from neighboring vineyards.
Producer Website: Château L’Eglise Clinet