Will Gardener 89-91

Deep intense nose, fresh and focused, clean, lovely intense palate lots of ripe grip, not overdone finishes long and pure, a very good Clinet. [Will Gardener, 14/06/2009]

Neal Martin 93

The 2008 Clinet has a deep garnet colour. This has plenty of fruit on the nose with ample blackberry, cranberry and fresh mint; very well defined and quite opulent in the context of the growing season. The palate is fresh on the entry with fine tannin, layers of blackberry and bilberry fruit laced with crushed stone; fresh and lively with a hint of peppermint towards the finish and graphite (courtesy of the Cabernet) on the aftertaste. This is drinking very well now although it has another 15 years of drinking enjoyment to give. (Tasted at the chateau and at BI Wine & Spirits annual vertical tasting.) [Neal Martin, 02/01/2018]

Anticipated maturity: 2018-2033

Vinous 91

Good deep ruby-red. Exotic Pomerol scents of dark chocolate and violet complemented by sexy oak tones. Lush and large-scaled; a bit youthfully undifferentiated today, but the flavors of cherry-cola, cassis and licorice are compellingly creamy and sweet. Finishes with serious, broad, supple tannins and very good length. [Stephen Tanzer, 07/01/2011]

Wine Advocate 93

This is the first bottle of Clinet ’98 to show a little reduction, although it improves with aeration and offers some lovely cassis and iodine scents that waft enticingly from the glass. The palate is very concentrated, more so than the VCC, though it does not possess quite the same poise and focus on the finish. This is a controlled Clinet, one with its harness and blinkers on, and it shows great potential however. Tasted June 2013. [Neal Martin, 01/06/2013]

JancisRobinson.com 17

Very dark crimson. Lively top note. Thick and sweet. Not the prettiest aspect of Pomerol but certainly not unappealing. Modern idiom. Needs lots of time. Sort of Clinet-esque. [18/01/2012]

Anticipated maturity: 2018-2030