France

Clos du Clocher

Clos du Clocher Pomerol

Bordeaux

Pomerol

Decanter Fine Wine Event London 2023 🤩🥂🍷

Amatør

Deep garnet-purple colored. Gorgeous notes of candied violets and juicy blueberries pop from the glass, giving way to hints of fresh raspberries, anise, and fertile loam. The light to medium-bodied palate is light on its feet and whispery with loads of elegant floral and red fruit nuances and a silky texture, supported by beautifully knit freshness, finishing long and perfumed. Very impressive!

by Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW

An aromatic, cocooning Pomerol, showing density without weight, and a controlled release of cocoa bean, pomegranate, slate, cassis, blueberry, squid ink, soy, liqourice root, with a mouthwatering finish. Well located vineyard on the plateau near to the Pomerol church, with old vine Cabernet Franc that dates back to 1957, and older 1930s vines used for massal selection. On its final year of organic certification, using natural yeasts, low sulphur additions and wine globes for ageing along with 55% new oak barrels. Mathieu Bonté technical director, Jean-Baptiste Bourotte owner. Harvest September 5 to October 3, 3.57ph.

Inside Bordeaux

A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Clos du Clocher has a pH of 3.6 and is vinified with natural yeast. It has a deep garnet-purple color and soars from the glass with vibrant notes of wild blueberries, fresh black raspberries, and orange peel, followed by suggestions of Indian spices, cedar chest, and lavender. The full-bodied palate is taut, tightly wound, and muscular, featuring ripe, rounded tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long and fragrant. Beautifully done!

The 5ha Clos du Clocher has pulled off a brilliant trick in 2021, proving as it often does that in difficult years you should look for wines with natural density in their soils. This is powerful, with succulence to its blackberry and damson fruits, and delivers cocoa bean, truffle and bitter almond edging to deepen the effect. Natural yeast, no chaptilisation, no saignée (bleeding of the tanks in the cellar), 37hl/h yield, aged in 50% new oak, and 10% wine globes. In official organic conversion for the first time in 2021, but has been working this way for some time.

You really feel the difference in the quality and character of the tannins once you get to the top wines in Pomerol, and for me Clos du Clocher is increasingly one of the stars of the plateau. This is powerful, knitted down, with purity and direction to the blackcurrant and black cherry fruit. Draws out through the palate, with a pretty intense tannic frame, a brilliant wine that delivers graphite, pencil lead, violet, almost at the intersection between Pomerol and the Left Bank. They finish the blend towards the end of ageing here, with 60% new oak. Organic conversion that began officially in 2021 but was farming entirely organically in 2020.

The richness of the texture is clear visually, and it delivers fully on the palate. There is more tannic weight than in the 2009, but the power and concentration are measured, and balanced by fresh acidity. Layers of griotte cherry, liquorice, olive tapenade, violets and graphite, great quality. 45hl/h yield, 65% new oak for ageing. Late budding, late flowering year, not easy fruit set for the Merlot, before the weather turned to a beautiful summer and a long slow harvest. Cécile Dupuis technical director. Jean-Baptiste Bourotte owner. This is the original tasting note from earlier in the summer, but it was tasted again at this larger retrospective of the 2009 and 2010 vintages, and once again clear that this is more intense than the 2009, needs longer before drinking, but is excellent quality.

Still young, majoring on black cherry, damson, black olive, rich and luscious tannins, with a juicy mid palate and mint leaf kiss on the finish. This reflects the more robust Pomerol style of the time, with a muscular architecture, but they are well honed muscles, and the excellence of this site comes through. First year with Cécile Dupuis technical director, then aged 23. Cold winter, then warm Spring with early budding, and some storms then good weather as of mid May. 55% new oak for ageing. This is the original tasting note from earlier in the summer, but it was tasted again at this larger retrospective of the 2009 and 2010 vintages, and absolutely delivered again, a one point upscore.

A little less Cabernet Franc than you tend to find in this wine today, but it still makes an impact. Beautiful juicy, touches of black cherry, butterscotch and smoked caramel, softens on the finish to blond tobacco, black pepper and white truffles. Very Pomerol, plenty of joy in this glass. Ready to drink but will hold for another decade at least. Harvest began September 14. Jean-Baptiste Audy had just come back to join the family estate at the time, working alongside his father.

2024	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2023	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2022	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2021	No priceNot available	Outstanding
2020	No priceNot available	Extraordinary

Category	Red wine
Vinmonopolet no.
Producer	Clos du Clocher
Vintages	2016
Country	France, Bordeaux, Pomerol
Bottle	75 cl

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