La Petite Eglise 2021

L’Eglise Clinet is considered by many to be one of the truly great offerings from Pomerol.  The name of this producer is often brought up in conjunction with icons of the Right Bank like Château Pétrus and Château La Fleur.  Yet despite the greatness of this estate, the wine is still among the less exorbitantly priced Pomerol producers out there today.  Robert Parker Jr himself once referred to this estate as a, “sleeper château of the century.”

The history of this estate dates to 1803, when a gentleman named Jean Rouchut purchased some vines near a small cemetery.  In 1882, the family purchased some plots from a neighboring vineyard, Domaine de Clinet. They decided to partner, and thus L’Eglise Clinet was born.  The property’s rise to stardom began when it was inherited by one of the legends in the wine industry, Denis Durantou. 

The Durantou family was a family of farmers, and most of their income did not come from winemaking.  Denis Durantou took over operations in 1983 and he certainly had his work cut out for him. There were no cellar floors, only dirt.  The vats were old and unclean, and they were not temperature controlled.  He made sweeping changes to the vat room and relined cement tanks with epoxy and replanted much of the 5.5-hectare vineyard. It took him only two years before he began to see the fruits of his labor.  There’s a mixture of opulence, concentration, and body in each bottle of L’Eglise Clinet and these traits began to evolve and shine during his tenure.  During the 1990s, each vintage received mounting critical acclaim and today, this opulent and lush wine is now considered one of the true stars of Pomerol. 

Denis Durantou was known as, “a winemaker’s winemaker.” He valued precision when approaching his wines and was a master at handling the Merlot grape.  Durantou’s authenticity was refreshing, and he was the epitome of a humble vigneron who did most of his winemaking in the vineyard.  He was described by some as, “a man of the soil,” whose purposes and motivation for crafting wine was simple: bringing integrity to terroir.  There was no pretense or ego that came through in his winemaking.  This is especially rare in a region where exorbitant prices continue to inflate, and a great wine is more and more difficult to purchase.  Denis Durantou’s contributions were important ones because he devoted a significant portion of his time to creating value oriented Pomerol that leveled the playing field.  In an interview with Jane Anson, he said he wanted to translate terroir, “as honestly as possible.”  Unfortunately, he passed away in 2020 after a long illness.  It was truly a great loss for the wine industry in all of Bordeaux.

Denis Durantou’s legacy lives on in those thirty-seven vintages he produced.  One can still always experience his technique, his precision, and his unique style in these wines.  His daughters are now in charge of the property with the winemaking team headed by Olivier Gautrat who worked for Durantou family for the past 20 years.

"The 2021 La Petite Eglise was picked September 28–29 and raised in 60% new oak. It has a pretty, floral bouquet that is, as usual, a little more expressive than the Grand Vin at this stage. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, taut at first though offering finely tuned, tart red fruit on the finish. Just give it a couple of years in bottle. (14.0% alcohol)" - Neal Martin, Vinous (4/2022),  Rating: 90-92

"While the 2021 Château L'Eglise Clinet La Petite Eglise plays as the second wine of the château, it's always from the same parcels (which never play well with the others) as well as some of the younger vine Merlot. The 2021 is 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc that was raised in 60% new French oak. It has the classic fresher style of the vintage yet brings good ripeness and depth in its red and black fruits, leafy tobacco, damp earth, and bouquet garni-like bay leaf nuances. Medium-bodied on the palate, it's nicely balanced, has a round, supple, elegant mouthfeel, soft tannins, and ample up-front charm and character. It will drink well for 7-8 years and evolve for even longer." Jeb Dunnuck, Bordeaux 2021 From Bottle (4/3/2024),  Rating: 91 Drink: 2024-2032

"Excellent quality, with crayon, cloves, saffran and graphite notes, deliciously finessed, and another wine that has improved over ageing. The 2016 plantings by the church plot near the chateau are used for the first time in this 2021 vintage, split betwen Petite Eglise and L'Eglise Clinet (massal from 1935 vines)." Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux (11/22/2023)  Rating: 92, Drink: 2025-2036

"Unwinding in the glass with aromas of spices plums, currants, licorice and toasty oak, the 2021 La Petite Eglise is medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with a fleshy core of fruit that's framed by chalky, youthfully structuring tannins. It's one second wine that will require a bit of patience." William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (2/08/2024),  Rating: 89+ Drink: 2027-2037

"A dark, serious brooding nose full of black fruits, truffle, rose, violet and dark chocolate. The palate is different however giving succulent and lively red fruits - sweet/sour strawberries and red cherries, so fresh and sincere, so perfectly presented with the bitter touches balanced against sweetness, racy acidity and fine tannins. An easy-to-like wine, with personality and style and just a feeling of pure joy about it! Not rich, heavy or opulent but taking the most joyous elements from the vintage and putting them the glass, still with structure and depth! Ageing in 70% new oak. 7,000 bottle production." - Georgina Hindle, Decanter (4/2022),  Rating: 91