Dark, rich garnet in color. That "noble rot" sauterne smell with lots of savory aromas. Dark fruit and lots of herbs on the palate, with lots of tannins that were pretty smooth and only mildly grippy (after 2.5 hours decanting!). Taking a bottle home to lay down for 6-7 you years, as suggested by sommelier Michael Kwas. Wonderfully paired with lamb ribeye, ratatouille, new potatoes, braised lamb belly, herbs de provence, red wine jus; softened the tannins and brought out the herbs in the wine.
L'Etoile Wine Dinner - Provence 8/17/22 — 3 years ago
Awesome bottle. Brandy like taste — 6 years ago
Apples and pears and booze — 8 years ago
Candied nuts, bruised green apple, mild brown sugar, banana laggy taffy. Creamy and nutty on the palate. — 8 years ago
Big, FULL grapes. Fer Servadou, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc. — 9 years ago
Great fun Jura, associations to calvados — a year ago
Full bodied and complex wine. Notes of blackberry, currant, pepper and floral. Wine feels a bit young even after decanting for 2+ hours. Excited to see what it will be in a handful of years. — 4 years ago
Similar notes to prior bottle opened about one year earlier, but this is showing as fresher and more lively, Yum!
Nose has maraschino cherry, white pepper, dry leather, dried red raspberry, distant barnyard, dried orange peel, granite quarry and dry earth.
Palate has dried cherry, dried raspberry, white chocolate, sweet red pepper, black cherry, old leather with medium acidity. This bottle is showing decent tannins, 3H decant. Enjoy 2022-24, in proper storage.
Our second successful preparation of this dish tonight; chicken, apples and cremé à la normande (cream, onion, mushroom & calvados), Jura looks to accompany cremé & calvados just fine. — 5 years ago
2016. Capsicum and chalk. Quite a hit of new oak that integrates with aeration. A big, structured wine for the vintage. Should have quite a long life. #châteaudebrézé #saumur #cabernetfranc — 7 years ago
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

Château de l’étoile vin jaune 100%savagnin 2002 — 3 years ago
Amazing Vin Jaune. Incredible value — 4 years ago
Entry-level Chardonnay from 25-35 years-old vines rooted in clay and limestone soils. Aged in oak for 6 months. Fresh, mineral. Hints of yellow apple and yeast on the nose. Tart green apple flavors, saline on the palate. Long, tasty finish. Great wine, incredible value — 4 years ago
11 September 2018. The Four Horsemen, Brooklyn, NY. — 7 years ago
Clear perfect flavor. Really good! At l'etoile. — 8 years ago
At its peak now. At l'etoile. — 8 years ago
VIN JAUNE ! — 9 years ago
Michael Hone
Excellent ! Smooth and easy — 9 months ago