Chateau Clinet Pomerol, Bordeaux wine producer profile, with a history of the property, plus information on their wine making techniques and their terroir, along with wine tasting reviews and links.
Chateau Clinet is situated on great terroir. Their Bordeaux wine vineyards are located at the highest point on the Pomerol Plateau. Clinet has good company on the plateau. It’s closest neighbors are only a stones throw away, L’Eglise Clinet, Clos L’Eglise, Feytit Clinet and Trotanoy.
Chateau Clinet once belonged to the Constant Family before it passed to the Arnaud family. The Arnaud’s had good taste in wine. At the same time, they were also owners ofthe famed Bordeaux wine property, Petrus. Following the Arnaud’s involvement, from 1900 to 1991, Clinet became the property of the Audy family. They were best known as Bordeaux negociant’s. When the managing director Jean-Michel Arcaute arrived in the early 1980s, Chateau Clinet began producing some of the best wine in their history.
It was Arcaute’s desire for Clinet return to the previous level of prominece it occupied in the early 19th century. Arcaute began leaf thinning, green harvesting, and more importantly, he strived to harvest fruit that was phenoliclly ripe. The estate also reduced the amount of cabernet sauvignon vines planted in the vineyards. Clinet is one of the few Pomerol properties with a large percentage, (Large for Pomerol) of cabernet sauvignon vines.
In 1991, the chateau was sold to Gan insurance. Arcaute remained the director of the estate. Clinet was bought by Jean-Louis Laborde in late 1998. Tragically, Arcaute died in a boating accident in 2001. Today, the estate is managed by the young Ronan Laborde. Laborde could have been a competitive marathon runner if he was not a wine maker. Michel Rolland consults this Bordeaux wine property. Clinet has been improving slowly but steadily since the Laborde famliy purchased the estate. 2008 was a big jump in quality and their 2009 Bordeaux wine is even better!
The estate produces a second wine, Fleur de Clinet which is made from declassified wine from Clinet and purchased fruit..
The vineyard consists of 40 year old vines planted on 8.64 ha, with 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The soils are gravel, clay and iron rich sand. The estate hand harvests and hand sorts.
Wine Making
The grapes are gently moved by gravity flow into underground, wooden vats. The fermentation is handled on a parcel by parcel basis. This allows each plot to be vinified to its needs. Malolactic fermentation takes place in French oak barrels. The barrels are divided between 60% new and 40% one year barrels. The wine is aged 18-22 months in the French oak barrels. The wine is blended after the oak aging is completed. The press wine is aged seperately. If it’s determined the wine requires more structure, the press wine is added during the final blending. Production is close to 3,200 cases of Bordeaux wine per year.
The wines of Clinet are rich, supple, sensuous, powerful and in the best vintages, offer floral, chocolate and spicy flavors. The wine ages well, developing sensous textures and aromatic complexities. Because this Bordeaux wine estate has been in a rebuilding process, (Since purchasing it in 1999) the property has not been producing wines at the level of the terroir.
That is now a thing of the past. Starting with the 2008, the chateau once again is at the top of their game. This estate is winning a lot of friends with it’s new high quality and their very friendly pricing policy due to a desire to build long term relationships with customers. For the time being prices remain low for a Pomerol of this quality making this a property to keep an eye on.
