Winemaker Notes
Blend: 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc
The Barrel Sample for this wine is above 14% ABV.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
There's some seriously good Merlot coming from the upper plateau of Pomerol in 2019, and the 2019 Château Clos L'Eglise is one of them. Deep purple-hued, with a rocking bouquet of black cherries, mulberries, chocolate, leafy herbs, and violets, this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a heavenly, seamless texture, polished tannins, and a great mix of freshness and richness. Nothing is over the top, it's perfectly ripe, has a great mid-palate, and is a beautiful Pomerol in the making.
Barrel Sample:95-97 -
James Suckling
Super aromas of ripe berries, blackberries and black cherries with lavender. It’s full-bodied and very structured with electrifying tannins that are polished and poised.
Barrel Sample: 96-97 -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2019 Clos l'Eglise slowly unfurls to reveal wonderfully fragrant scents of red roses, candied violets, Sichuan pepper, hoisin and garrigue over a core of blackberry preserves, stewed plum and spice cake with a waft of cast-iron pan. Medium-bodied, the palate is elegantly played with a well-knit backbone of ripe, grainy tannins and seamless freshness supporting the fragrant layers, finishing long and mineral laced
Barrel Sample: 93-95
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
A source of exceptionally sensual and glamorous red wines, Pomerol is actually a rather small appellation in an unassuming countryside. It sits on a plateau immediately northeast of the city of Libourne on the right bank of the Dordogne River. Pomerol and St-Émilion are the stars of what is referred to as Right Bank Bordeaux: Merlot-dominant red blends completed by various amounts of Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon. While Pomerol has no official classification system, its best wines are some of the world’s most sought after.
Historically Pomerol attached itself to the larger and more picturesque neighboring region of St-Émilion until the late 1800s when discerning French consumers began to recognize the quality and distinction of Pomerol on its own. Its popularity spread to northern Europe in the early 1900s.
After some notable vintages of the 1940s, the Pomerol producer, Petrus, began to achieve great international attention and brought widespread recognition to the appellation. Its subsequent distribution by the successful Libourne merchant, Jean-Pierre Mouiex, magnified Pomerol's fame after the Second World War.
Perfect for Merlot, the soils of Pomerol—clay on top of well-drained subsoil—help to create wines capable of displaying an unprecedented concentration of color and flavor.
The best Pomerol wines will be intensely hued, with qualities of fresh wild berries, dried fig or concentrated black plum preserves. Aromas may be of forest floor, sifted cocoa powder, anise, exotic spice or toasted sugar and will have a silky, smooth but intense texture.