2021 Ch Clinet, Pomerol

Deep crimson. Polished dark plum, blackcurrant wood varnish aromas with star anise notes. Well concentrated dark plum, blackcurrant, cedar wood notes, fine supple bittersweet tannins. Firm chestnut finish. Very good use of new oak in the wine. 75% merlot, 25% cabernet sauvignon. 16+ months in new and seasoned oak. 13% alc

93-94 points Andrew Caillard MW

An exceptional Clinet in 2021. Richly scented, dark and roguish, a touch of sour cherry and perfume to the nose. Round, supple, generous and vibrant on the palate - this has a lifeforce to it with nuance of red berry flavour and real persistency as well as juicy acidity. I love the upfront nature of this and the really quite vivid and expressive red fruits while the background gives the savoury, menthol, liquorice notes offering depth and wideness - lots of terroir and grape markers in the glass - particularly the high percentage (25%) of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend. Tannins are firm and supportive with the overall freshness lifting the frame, delivering a full mouthfeel with a density of tannins and black fruit that doesn't dip. Well worked and presented. A touch of wood on the finish but subtle and supportive. You also get the florality all the way through which is just so appealing. Supremely well worked, charming but also confident - I absolutely love it and it clearly stood out every time tasting it - four times in total. 45,000 bottles made, same production as 2020.

Drinking Window 2026 - 2049

95 points GH decanter.com

Coming from a mix of clay and gravelly soils spread across a 10-hectare vineyard and 40-year-old vines, the 2021 Château Clinet is another brilliant success by Ronan Laborde, who continues to make one of the greatest Pomerols out there. A blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon (which is a high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon for Pomerol), it sports a deep purple hue to go with brilliant notes of blueberries, blackberries, violets, and minty herbs. More medium to full-bodied on the palate, it shows the fresher, elegant style of the vintage yet still brings plenty of mid-palate depth, ripe, velvety tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish. It's a stunning success in the vintage that will drink nicely on release yet evolve for 20 years or more.

93-96 points JB jebdunnuck.com

At 75% Merlot and fully 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Clinet contains the highest proportion of Cabernet in the blend (excepting the 2003) since at least the 1980s. Ronan Laborde harvested late, picking into mid-October, to craft a medium to full-bodied, deep and impressively seamless wine evocative of dark berries, baking chocolate, violets and spices. Concentrated and nicely integrated, it is one of the vintage's notable successes.

Ronan Laborde is producing the best wines of his career at this Pomerol reference point. Some eight hectares produce Clinet, much of the vineyards being located around the château in the lieu-dit that lends it its name, complemented by a parcel by the church and another not far from the headquarters of the syndicat viticole. Today, these holdings are planted with some 80% Merlot, but before phylloxera, Cabernet Sauvignon was widely planted in this sector, and today, Laborde is replacing Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon (he retains a parcel of old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon dating back to 1950). Vines are hedged at 1.5 meters, and cover crops help to manage water in the iron-rich clays near the château, allowing access by tractor even after recent rainfall. In the winery, Laborde now employs small stainless steel tanks that permit parcel-by-parcel vinification, and a vertical press has been the order of the day since as long ago as 2001. What's really evolved in recent years is the barrel program: oak is long-seasoned (four to five years), and some large formats have joined the classic 225-liter barriques; but above all, lighter, less impactful toasts are now chosen, meaning Clinet's 80% new oak is much more discreet in its aromatic and textural contribution than was the case a decade ago.

93-95 points WK robertparker.com

This is gracefully handled, sculpted black fruits, with blueberry, plum, truffle and cinnamon spice. A touch of bitter black chocolate on the finish, not the exuberant power of most years at Clinet, but a great handling of the vintage, concentrated but not overly extracted. 38hl/h yield. Tasted twice.

94 points JA janeanson.com

Firm, lightly chewy yet creamy tannins. Savory bark and herb notes. Cloves and licorice, too. Medium body with a polished, lengthy and firm finish. Compact.

93-94 points jamessuckling.com 

The 2021 Clinet is gorgeous. Soaring Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics lend presence to a deep, beautifully layered Pomerol that gets better and better with time. In the glass. I especially admire the vibrancy here. At 25%, the Cabernet Sauvignon is high for Clinet, but it is an approach that works quite well in 2021. This is a fine vintage for Clinet

92-94 points AG vinous.com