Wine Tasting Notes, Ratings

1998 Clos l'Église (Pomerol)

1. One of my favorite things about tasting is being surprised about a wine that in previous tastings, I was not too happy about. I might be forced to retract my previous reservations about Clos L’Eglise Pomerol. Bitter chocolate, floral, boysenberry, black cherry, smoke, truffle and vanilla make up the complex aromatics. The palate is pure silk and velvet with a richness that would please most hedonistic tasters. The black cherry and fudge finish has a minor sensation of dryness and vanilla in the end note. My previous reservations about the wine were based on too much of an oaky sensation. At 14 years of age, and an hour in the glass, it looks like I was wrong. As I have a few more bottles left, it will be interesting to see how this wine continues to develop.

   94 points - Tasted May 29, 2012

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2. Chocolate covered boysenberries, violets, coffee, brown sugar and smoke aromas come out with little effort. Soft, round, and opulent in texture, the wine finishes with smoky black cherries and some dryness. This is ready to drink.

   92 points - Tasted Dec 17, 2011

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3. Oak, coffee, truffle, licorice, plums and coconut in the nose.. The fruit was sweet with round textures. The plummy, chocolate finish was marred by too much oak. The wine is not a problem yet. But at 12 years of age, it's an issue when a wine shows this much oak, It's possible this wine will dry out in another decade. This would have been better with less oak. The chateau has cut back on the amount of new oak used these days.

   92 points - Tasted Jan 21, 2011

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4. Dark ruby color. Jammy plums, caramel, smoke, truffle, spice and chocolate in the nose. Deep, dense, full bodied and rich. Chocolate covered blackbery, boysenberry and dark cherry, are easily found in the finish. The only minor issue with the wine is a hint of oak in the ending notes.

   95 points - Tasted May 18, 2009

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5. Very dense and sexy in the mouth. Intense sensations of chocolate and very ripe, black plums and dark raspberry are easy to find. This is another 98 that has continued getting better since release. Everything is coming together. Still young, this wine has a lot of positive evolution in its future.

   94 points - Tasted Oct 14, 2008

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6. Plum, espresso, vanilla, anise, dark chocolate, black cherry and floral elements start off this wine. Full bodied, lustyand rich, this dense wine ends with a sexy palate presence. Still young and tannic. Give it a few more years.

   95 points - Tasted Aug 31, 2007

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