Did you know City Cellars is home to a few hidden treasures, namely some wines with a few years behind them or from very special producers? In this blog series, we feature a special vintage or premium wine that we have in store, with information about the wine, the vintage, the producer and the cost.
2005 - Chateau Clinet
Pomerol, Bordeaux, France
Producer
Chateau Clinet is one of the oldest vineyards in Pomerol, with vines planted around 1785. Pomerol is on the Right Bank of the Dordogne River in France’s infamous Bordeaux region and along with St. Emilion, is one of the two most important appellations of the Right Bank. Chateau Clinet’s 11.27 hectare vineyard is planted with 88% Merlot, 11.5% Cabernet Sauvignon and .5% Cabernet Franc.
Since its inception, Chateau Clinet has changed ownership many times. Most recently, in 1998, the estate was purchased by Jean-Louis Laborde. In 2004, his son, Ronan Laborde took over, replanting 20% of the vineyard and reducing the amount of new French barrels from 100% to 60% for the aging process. He increased the yields from an average of 25 hectoliters per hectare to 40 hectoliters per hectare and he increased the density of the planting of the vines as well. Increasing a vineyard’s size is difficult in Pomerol due to limited land space, but Ronan Laborde accomplished these challenging tasks. With Ronan Laborde at the helm, the wines of Chateau Clinet began to improve with 2005 being the first vintage where you saw a jump in quality.
Fun fact: Ronan Laborde could have been a competitive marathon runner, with marathon running times around 2 hours 27 minutes. But he didn’t want to give up great dinners and even better wine, which was required to train with France’s best runners.
Winemaking
Blend: 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc
Aged in 60% new, French oak barrels for 18 to 22 months. 5% of the oak barrels are from an even split of German oak and Austrian oak.
The wine is blended after oak aging is completed.
Taste profile
Aromas: Plum, chocolate, floral, tobacco, truffle and earth
Palate: Full, rich and round, with lush ripe fruit such as dark cherries and plums. Soft and silky finish.
Aging
Chateau Clinet is much better with at least 8-12 years of aging in good vintages. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment. Chateau Clinet offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 10-35 years of age after the vintage. At 16 years of age, the 2005 Chateau Clinet will have softened considerably, giving way to its full perfume, and developing sensuous textures and aromatic complexities. A few more years of aging will allow this wine to develop more tertiary characteristics.
The wine is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius - this cooler, almost cellar temperature, gives the wine more freshness and lift. Decant for 30 minutes to an hour. It’s best served with all types of classic meat dishes or hearty fish courses.
Price
We price this wine at $219.98.
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