Lars Miller

9.4

Very complex. Apricot shines through. Tastes of baked cake. Forward, but not too flowery. — 8 years ago

Al Shikoh

9.4

Deep ruby color. Expressive nose of blackberries, blackcurrant, dark chocolate, and vanilla. Juicy dark fruit on the palate with oak spice and nice tannic texture. Probably drinking near or at its peak right now. Blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Petite Verdot with 80% of the fruit coming from the To Kalon Vineyard. Aged 28 months in 55% new French oak. — 9 years ago

with Kelly

Ron Siegel

9.2

This was still very fresh at 55 yrs showing soft red fruits, violets, truffle, tobacco and spice. I liked this more than the 64 Lafite. — 9 years ago

Florian Feder

9.1

Ain't that bad — 9 years ago

Adam Shain

9.0

Very Smooth — 10 years ago

with Kate

Paul Stefani

9.4

This is everything I expected and more. Worth every dollar.
Dark and lush black current, intense dark chocolate, fine tannins and smooth finish. Paired fantastic with grilled t bones and a Gorgonzola and pear salad. — 11 years ago

Michael Dorman

10

Some damn fine Bordeaux - circa 2000 — 11 years ago

Adam Stuzen

9.0

Under $6. Hellz yeah!! — 12 years ago

with Amanda

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

3000th post. 🎉 On the nose; sweet, lush; black cassis, liqueur notes, sweet tarry notes, rich, lush; blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, plum, caramel, mocha, caramel, baking spices, warm, moist, rich, dark soils and fresh dark florals. The body is M and the tannins are round and soft. She is a beauty. Ripe, rich; blackberries, black plum, plum, dark cherries, black raspberries & poached strawberries. liqueur notes, sweet tarry notes, dark chocolate, mocha, caramel, baking spices, menthol, warm, moist dark earth, soft leather, dry rock powder, sweet black tea, fresh violets, dark, red florals, perfect round acidity and a rich, round, elegant fruit driven finish that last and lasts. Photos of; Clos E'Lgise and estate vines, signage, Helen Garcin-Leveque and her husband Patrice Leveque and their barrel cellar. Producer history and notes...Clos L’Eglise is one of the older chateaux in Pomerol dating back to the 18th century. The same time the farmhouse that is still in use was constructed. At the time, Chateau Clos L’Eglise was a larger estate. It once had been apart of the Gombaude Guillot. Eventually the estate was split in half. On one side of the street, you had Chateau Clos l’Eglise; which was owned by the Rouchut family. Across the street sat Chateau Clos l’Eglise-Clinet, which was owned by the Mauleon family. After awhile, Clos l’Eglise Clinet eventually changed its name to Chateau l’Eglise Clinet which also simultaneously gave birth to what we know today as Clos L’Eglise. While the wines are now produced by Helene Garcin that was not always the case with Clos L’Eglise. At one point, the estate produced wines under a leasing arrangement held by the Rouchut family. The modern era of Clos L’Eglise began in 1975, when the property facilities were all redesigned and modernized by the Moreau family. The Moreau’s also owned Chateau Plince. The old, non temperature controlled wood tanks were replaced by stainless steel. The vineyards were also expanded. Instead of buying more vines, the owners simply planted land that was being used as a pasture. Imagine now, Pomerol land being used to feed cattle. In the past, the property was planted with a much larger percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, near 20%. All the Cabernet Sauvignon vines were eventually ripped out and replaced by Merlot. The next step of it's evolution took place in 1997 when the Right Bank estate was sold to Sylvaine Garcin Cathiard by the Moreau family. If the Cathiard name sounds family, she is the sister of Daniel Cathiard, the owner of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte. The sale set a new benchmark price for Pomerol when it sold for 12 million Euros! Today that price would be laughable! Prior to 2000, that was considered a huge price for Pomerol. Further investment was needed to replace the aging concrete vats and again modernize the facilities. In fact, the first vintage of Clos L’Eglise made by Helene Garcin was produced at Haut Bergey in Pessac Leognan. Helene Garcin also manages two estates in St. Emilion, Chateau Barde Haut, Chateau Poesia (Mendoza, Argentina) and Branon, which is situated in Pessac Leognan. Helene Garcin was put in charge of the property. She hired Michel Rolland as a consultant and a complete renovation of the facilities took place. Michel Rolland was eventually replaced by Alain Raynaud. Starting with the 2015 vintage, Thomas Duclos recently replaced Alain as the consultant. Their property is nearly 6 hectares. L’Eglise soils are rich clay, gravel and iron. It's located on a sloping hill near Chateau Clinet, Chateau L’Eglise Clinet and Chateau Trotanoy. Clos L’Eglise is planted to 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. On average, the vines are 35 years of age. There is one old parcel of Cabernet Franc that was planted in the 1940’s. Vinification of Clos L’Eglise takes place in 55 hectoliter, insulated, stainless steel tanks. The new steel tanks replaced the oak vats in 2012. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel. Clos L’Eglise is aged in 100% new French oak for between 16 and 18 months. The property also has a second wine, Esprit de L’Eglise. On average, about 1,200 cases of Clos L’Eglise are produced every year. — 8 years ago

JKT

8.9

Fruit forward. Hot on palate and finish. Private JL tasting 7/14/16. $55. — 9 years ago

Lewis Chester

9.5

1958 Giacomo Conterno Monfortino: from Jay. This was the Ying to the Mascarello's Yang. Lovely rich ruby colour with virtually no bricking on the edge. The nose developed over the course of 15 to 20 mins in the glass. Unlike the Mascarello that was shedding perfume from the moment it hit the glass, the Monfortino needed more air before becoming less brooding. Dark fruits on the nose. Purple plums, black cherries, some forest floor, light tobacco as well as some floral elements prevailed. The palette was a reflection of the nose so no surprises. The fruit was far from dried out and this particular bottle still had plenty of life left in it but from my recent experience this is the exception rather than the rule. I have had around 10 bottles of old Monfortino ('55 / '58 / and '61) over the last year and the bottle variation, as you would expect, is tremendous with the majority of them past their prime. The finish was strong and in keeping with the rest of the package with reasonable length and quality. Drink now. 95/100.

— 10 years ago

Brett Vanderbrook

9.0

2013 vintage, which wasn't an option. Lemon and wet stone on the nose. More fruit/less acid on the palate. Kind of a candied lemon peel quality with a little zippiness. Not bad at all for a $10 bottle! — 11 years ago

Andrew Lampasone

Owner Wine Watch Selections

9.4

1990 wild herbs fresh earth very complex array on the nose still some fruit menthol camphor smooth and silky texture some tannins still here lovely freshness. Most excellent 55 cab cf mr the rest 1998 a greatrightbank so Palmer jas a lot of merlot more than Antofagasta the classified growths similar nose fresh herbsandrhat month camphor smooth and another all and earthy soft tannins finish 40excellent +. 2010 currant and red cherry fruit with sweet tobacco spice a gravelly mineral note big and chewy with an earthy musty note but lots of everything structured and fresh finish 50+ most excellent+ — 13 years ago

Chris England

9.3

Been on my wish list to try this wine a while now 👌 @ £62 this didn't disappoint 👍

Great young 92-93 & not as tannic as I expected but will age into a beauty 94-96 me thinks 😍 Give a good decant 3+ hrs

🍇 55% Cab S, 25% Mer, 18% Cab F & 2% Pet V

🍷 Deep opaque ruby

👃 Ripe mocha infused spiced plum & sweet blackcurrant w/ smokey herby earthy tones

👄 Med-Full bodied smooth plump sweet blackcurrant & chewy plum w/ mocha tones & fine tannins

🎯 Long dark fruit mocha super stain — 9 years ago

David L

9.2

10' Matthiasson Red Blend . When I visited the old farmhouse a few years back I wrote down the blend...55% Merlot 35% CB & the rest of it? A rare sighting these days of 13.1% ALC.
After trying this wine a few years back, I thought it needed a bit of time.
I decanted for two hours . Color-Dark red brick. Nose- Black olives, violets. Palate- Wow this is nothing like I remembered it. Ripe black fruits(cherries, black plums). Black tea, dark chocolate, mint, herbs. All these flavors with a supple punch to it. There's no need to wait that much longer before drinking this . Very enjoyable bottle. — 9 years ago

Matt Trader

9.1

Beautiful Grand Cru Champagne from Lallier. 55% PN from Ay, and 45% Chardonnay from Côte des Blanc, 8g/I dosage. Shows nice balance of acidity and elegant, creamy bubbles. Medium plus toast to the nose, and lemon oil, white pepper, fresh apricot and peach compote, and créme fresh, with a citric crisp finish. This one will see some great aging, but it's pretty darn tasty now. — 9 years ago

Cecilia Garza

9.0

Love it! And I love Miranda Lambert! Good, smooth and fruity. Delicious — 10 years ago

Jordi Pazo

9.0

Vila. Copa.
21.05.15 — 11 years ago

Justin Dahlem

9.0

Great dry red, especially at $8. — 11 years ago

Antoine Pin

Wine Buyer Kroger/QFC

10

The BEST Chateauneuf-du-Pape producer EVER! Bar-none. Must try! #31 or 36 on @Garyvee's 101 Wine @DomaineduBanner $55 / 97pts — 12 years ago