2010 l'Eglise Clinet, Pomerol

SKU #1144848 98 points James Suckling

Sweet berries with hints of incense and spices on the nose with black truffles. Very ripe but not over-the-top. This is full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a smoky wood and mushroom undertone. It's dense and impressive yet very balanced. I like it, slightly better quality than the 2009. Give the wine five or six years of bottle age to soften before opening. (2/2013)

98 points Vinous

The 2010 l’Eglise-Clinet was harvested from 20 to 27 September and matured in 80% new oak. It has a magnificent bouquet with multi-layered red and black fruit, black truffle, a hint of clove and bay leaf, just a nose that is “vrai Pomerol”. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, chalky tannin. There is impressive depth here, a firm grip in the mouth, although it has softened (a little) since I last tasted it. What I adore is the symmetry of this 2010, the tension and the energy conveyed by the finish. That said, it is nowhere near ready and requires several years in bottle before it reaches its drinking window. Behold a titan of a Pomerol. (NM) (7/2019)

96 points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

This wine will likely be a major superstar with about 10-15 years of cellaring. It was one of the more closed and difficult wines to penetrate and one of probably only a dozen or so 2010s that I only had one chance to taste from bottle, but it is loaded with fabulous raw materials. The 2010 is a profound effort, but it needs to be forgotten for at least a decade. This opaque purple wine offers up notes of caramelized black currant and black cherry candies intermixed with some very high class, subtle vanillin and toast. Hints of licorice, mocha and perhaps even a touch of chocolate are also present in this full-bodied, super-duper, concentrated, classic wine, which has everything in perfect proportions. But in the finish, its whoppingly big tannins kick in...Look for this wine to last for at least 50+ years. (RP) 96+ (2/2013)

96 points Wine Spectator

Rich but delightfully pure, with a stunningly gorgeous, pure beam of unadulterated raspberry preserves driving through the middle, showing hints of plum, anise and blueberry hanging in the background. The long finish drips with fruit, but maintains the racy acidity needed for balance and elegance, while a fine minerality slides in underneath. Drink now through 2030. (JM) (3/2013)

95 points Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

Good deep red. Wild, superripe nose combines dark raspberry, black olive, smoked meat, mocha and sexy oak. Hugely rich and sweet but structured too, offering outstanding depth to its flavors of berries, dark chocolate, espresso, graphite and underbrush. Finishes with huge but noble tannins and outstanding persistence. As rich and concentrated as this is, it somehow maintains a light touch. A great expression of Merlot with the sheer strength of material and structure for a long life in bottle. (ST) 95+ (8/2013)

Jancis Robinson

Dark purplish crimson. Introvert and unevolved on the nose. Very firm and ambitious. Not nearly as sweet as most Pomerols but with excellent structure. Chewy and for the long term. Fragrant and Cab Francy. 18/20 points. (JR) (1/2014)

K&L Notes

"Proprietor Denis Durantou has been on a hot streak," notes Robert Parker, "and is one of those perfectionist proprietors who seems tortured by their compulsion to do everything so well. Believe me, as a wine drinker, you want people like Durantou making the wines!" (2/2013)