Dark red-ruby. Sappy, spicy aromas of black raspberry and toffee. Lush, large-scaled and mouthfilling; impressively seamless and sweet for the vintage. Has the fat of '97 along with a more obvious structural underpinning. Subtle and very long on the ripely tannic finish, with hints of leather and game.

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One of the few profound Pomerols in 1996, l'Eglise-Clinet turned out an uncommonly rich, concentrated wine that is performing well from bottle, even though it is displaying a more tightly-knit structure than it did from cask. The dark ruby/purple color is followed by notes of charcoal, jammy cassis, raspberries, and a touch of sur-maturite. Spicy oak emerges as the wine sits in the glass. It is fat, concentrated, and medium to full-bodied, with a layered, multidimensional, highly nuanced personality. This muscular Pomerol will require 3-5 years of bottle age.

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Aromas of sweet tobacco and berries follow through to a full-bodied palate, with chewy tannins and a medium finish. A little austere. I would pop the cork right away.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now.

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