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La Petite Eglise (2nd label Eglise Clinet) 2020

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > Pomerol
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot/Cabernet Franc

This is a serious Pomerol in its own right, but it is sold at a fraction of the price of Eglise Clinet and is often the best value wine of the appellation. Since its debut in 2004, this has always been a 100% Merlot cuvée and has come from fruit harvested on sandier soils rather than from the vines of Eglise Clinet itself. In 2018, a large part of the Merlot vines were dug up and production here is currently extremely small.

View all vintages of this wine | View all wines by Château L'Église-Clinet

Label

Tasting Notes

Lots of blackberries and blueberries with crushed stone and cement aromas and flavors. Medium- to full-bodied with polished tannins that are lightly chewy and tensioned. Long and flavorful. Needs four to five years to soften. Best after 2027.

96
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, May 2023

This is powerful and complex, fleshy damson and black cherry fruits, austere in all the right places, with amazing depth, better than many first wines in Pomerol and is an absolute buy. Jagged edges of crushed rocks, star-bright, luscious as it opens, unleashing waves of violet and peony. A shame just to taste this wine, hopefully you will be luckier and can enjoy a whole bottle. 50% new oak, harvest September 9 to 16. Noemie Durantou winemaker alongside Olivier Gautrat.

94
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com, February 2023

The 2020 La Petite Eglise reveals aromas of sweet cherries and berries mingled with petals and loamy soil, followed by a medium to full-bodied, lively and concentrated palate that's rather firm and serious this year. It will reward patience. Only 4,500 bottles were produced from dedicated parcels.

91+
William Kelley, Wine Advocate, April 2023

A blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, the 2020 La Petite Eglise is deep garnet-purple in color. It requires a lot of coaxing to unlock notions of baked plums, blackberry compote, and fruitcake, followed by hints of cardamom, black olives, and crushed rocks. The medium to full-bodied palate is densely laden with earth-laced black fruits, supported by firm, rugged tannins and just enough freshness, finishing long and earthy.

93
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent, March 2023

The 2020 is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc, harvested between 9th and 16th September. It will be aged in 50% new oak and comes in at 14.5% abv. Bright ruby in colour with an elegant, red fruited nose that is accented with spice. The palate is delicate, fresh and vibrant, bringing a floral, lifted character. This fine, mineral wine has weightless intensity with notes of cherry blossom, violet and hedgerow fruit. Pithy, ripe tannins gently frame the fruit and allow for a pure, persistent finish.

91/94
Farr Vintners, Farr Tasting, April 2021

80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc. Cask sample.
Ripe and zesty with berry-fruit notes and a hint of chocolate and spice from the oak. Gourmand on the palate, again with vivid fruit. Finely etched tannins provide a neat rather than powerful structure. A real temptation in the short to medium term. (JL) 14.5%
Drink 2024 – 2035

16.5
James Lawther MW, JancisRobinson.com, April 2021

(80% M, 20% CF; 14.5% ABV; 50% new)
Subtly black fruit-ripe to smell, discreet and with a touch of truffle and mineral; fullish, fresh, plump, and very fine in tannin; a touch oak-tinged to taste, but long and refined, complex, flowing, and yet with the close-grained quality of so many of this year’s best Pomerols; effortlessly graceful and complete wine with a beautiful fruit fragrance on a very long finish. There is a a subtlety and class here which mark this out as a very special expression of LPE. One of the best ever? 2026–40+.

92/93
Michael Schuster, The World of Fine Wine, May 2021
Read more tasting notes...

Very fresh, perfumed aromas of blackberries, black olives and some white pepper. The palate is full and extremely polished with lovely depth and length. Lovely second wine. Serious.

95/96
James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com, April 2021

The 2020 La Petite Eglise is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. The Merlot was picked on the 9th and the 16th of September, and the Cabernet Franc was picked on the 16th of September. It has an alcohol of 14.5% and is aging in French oak barrels, 50% new. Deep garnet-purple colored, it leaps from the glass with bold notions of black raspberries, Black Forest cake and baked plums, plus hints of red roses, cardamom and forest floor. The medium to full-bodied palate possesses incredible poise at this youthful stage, delivering plush tannins and integrated freshness to support the generous black fruits, finishing long and full of energy. An anticipated 4,500 bottles will be made. 2024 - 2039

92/94
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, May 2021

Noemie and Constance Duranou now in charge, with Noemie winemaker alongside Olivier Gautrat. This is rich and ripe led by raspberry fruits on the nose, a little subdued through the mid palate, plenty of weight to the tannins, but it still shows the precision that has been built up over many years of this wine. A yield of 42hl/ha, harvest from September 8.

Drinking Window 2023 - 2040

93
Jane Anson, Decanter.com, May 2021
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.