Chateau La Petite Eglise 2015
Chateau La Petite Eglise 2015, The classical dry red wine comes from the appellation Pomerol in Bordeaux. The wines of Pomerol have a high composition of Merlot in their blends are considered the most gentle and least tannic and acidic of Bordeaux wines. Cabernet Franc, known in this area as Bouchet is the second leading grape and helps to contribute to the dark, deep coloring that is typical of Pomerol wines.
Denis Durantou’s “second wine” is a serious Pomerol in its own right, but at a fraction of the price of Eglise Clinet. Usually the best value wine in Pomerol. Since its debut in 2004, this has always been a 100% Merlot cuvée and has come from fruit harvested on sandier soils. However in 2018, a lot of the Merlot vines were dug up and 20% Cabernet Franc from the young vines of Eglise Clinet have been added to the blend. Only 400 cases will be produced, aged in 35% new oak in the cellars of L’Eglise Clinet.
Chateau L’Eglise-Clinet is a small, critically acclaimed 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. Its 4.2 hectares (10 acres) of vines produce around 1500 cases of wine per year. The vineyard has some of the highest concentrations of old vines in Pomerol, although the estate starting replanting in 2018 (and quantities of the corresponding – and subsequent – vintages are slightly lower).
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. Indeed, the blend is roughly 90-10 in favor of Merlot. 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 Clos L’Église and Château Clinet. The late, highly lauded winemaker Denis Durantou had been owner-winemaker since 1983 and had overseen L’Eglise-Clinet’s rise to prominence.
Durantou died in 2020 and his daughters, Constance and Noëmie have taken over the running of the estate.
