1998 Clos l'Église (Pomerol) Pomerol Bordeaux France Wine Tasting Note

Drinking at close to its apogee, the full-bodied, richly textured wine is loaded with dark chocolate-covered plums, smoke, licorice, black cherry and earthy accents. Lush, hedonistic, full, long and opulent, 30-60 minutes in the decanter seems to be the right call.

4,410 Views   Tasted Jul 19, 2021

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What a difference 22 years of aging can do for a wine. The oak has completely faded away. Now, the opulent, silky, luscious fruits are what gets your focus. Concentrated, sensuous and packed with chocolate-covered black cherries and truffle, this is at peak and should remain here for at least another 10-15 years, if well stored. Pomerol is an expensive wine region. But for a wine of this quality, at maturity, prices are reasonable for wine at this level.

Lush, rich, sexy and concentrated, the wine is concentrated, fresh and deep, with a blast of oak, licorice, dark chocolate, flowers, black raspberry and earthy notes. Secondary, with room to improve, you can pop a cork today, or wait another 5 more years.

This has really continued to improve over the years. The oak has melded into the wine. It's rich, ripe, chocolately, sexy, opulent and silky. The fruit is lush, polished and long. The wine is elegance with a dash of decadence tossed in for good measure. This is best showing yet for this Pomerol. Drink now, or give it a few more years as it will only get better from here. the wine was decanted for about 2 hours before serving.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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