2017 La Petite Eglise
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Tasting notes
Tasted blind. Deep ruby colour. Plums, fresh mint and bay leaf on the nose – complex and seductive. The palate has a silky entry, with rounded fruit set against leathery spice and tobacco. Crunchy, mouth-coating tannins provide ample structure without dominating the fruit. Tones of dried cherries and liquorice on the finish. Long, should improve. (TP)
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2017 La Petite Eglise is poweful and rich in the glass. Dark purplish berry fruit, charcoal, licorice, clove and lavender are some of the many nuances that infuse the 2017 with its distinctly somber personality. Unctuous and racy in feel, with superb density, the 2017 is a decidedly extroverted Pomerol. Tasting it from bottle, I have the same impression I did en primeur: it is easily better than many top bottlings.
Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 La Petite Eglise delivers expressive notions of baked plums, warm black cherries and mulberries with hints of forest floor and garrigue plus a waft of smoked meats. Medium-bodied, the palate has a great core of plummy flavors with soft tannins and a refreshing finish.
The 2017 La Petite Eglise was picked from 12 to 22 September and matured in 50% new oak. It has a floral bouquet with touches of incense and lavender infusing the black fruit, nicely defined and surprisingly open for the vintage. The palate is very smooth on the entry with blood orange and a tang of marmalade infusing the black fruit. It threatens to become exotic, but then it becomes more linear towards the finish with touches of graphite on the aftertaste.
About the producer
Ch. l'Eglise-Clinet is one of the most unassuming wine estates in Bordeaux. You'd probably drive past it if you didn't have prior knowledge of its vinous output. There's no ostentatious gateway nor sweeping gravel drive.