2023 Château Clinet, Pomerol

The 2023 Clinet is powerful and racy right out of the gate. Crushed flowers, spice, mocha and a kiss of French oak meld into a core of dark red- and black-toned fruit. This modern, stylish Pomerol is so expressive. Hints of graphite, lavender, crushed rocks and pencil shavings linger on the substantial finish. Tasted two times.

The 2023 Clinet was picked from September 13 to 26 at 42hL/ha and aged in 80% new oak. It has a very appealing bouquet, quite pure with vivacious red cherries, crushed strawberry and violet scents. The oak is neatly integrated. This is almost Saint-Émilion in style. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins and a fine bead of acidity, lightly spiced with a crisp and linear finish. This is a delightful, composed Clinet that should drink well after four to five years.

This is full-bodied yet tight and poised, with a pretty, pure center-palate of ripe fruit and fine, integrated tannins. Classy presence. May be better than 2022.

Rich and layered, the 2023 Clinet wafts from the glass with aromas of dark berries, spices and licorice, framed by creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep and complete, with a rich chassis of powdery tannin underpinning its sweet core of fruit, it concludes with a broad, vanillin-inflected finish. As is routinely the case at this address, it's a successfully rendered Pomerol in a more modern style.