1989 L'Eglise Clinet Pomerol Bordeaux - 100 pts - 750ml

Château L'Église-Clinet is a small, elite producer in the Pomerol appellation of Bordeaux. Over recent vintages its average scores from critics have been some of the very highest in the region, and auction prices very much reflect this acclaim.

The 4.4 hectares (11 acres) of vines produce 1500 cases of wine per year. The vineyard has one of the best collections of old vines in Pomerol, with half of the vines over 50 years old, and a quarter more than 75. Merlot accounts for 85 percent of plantings, with 15 percent Cabernet Franc, although more recent vintages of the wines have a smaller percentage of the latter. In some older parts of the vineyard, the two varieties are mixed, picked together and co-fermented, making exact proportions impossible to calculate. The wine is typically aged in 80 percent new oak.

The estate was formed in the 1950s from vineyard parcels which were originally part of Châteaux Clos L'Église and Clinet. Denis Durantou has been owner-winemaker since 1983 and has overseen L'Eglise-Clinet's rise to prominence.