Chateau L'Eglise Clinet 1985

One of Pomerol's greatest estates, Château L'Église-Clinet is renowned for its extraordinary depth and finesse. It reveals captivating aromas of black cherry, blackberry, plum, truffle, violet, graphite, dark chocolate, and exotic spice. Intensely concentrated yet impeccably refined, it delivers velvety tannins, remarkable freshness, exceptional precision, and an extraordinarily long finish.

Food Pairing: Pair with beef Wellington, Wagyu steak, roast lamb, duck breast, venison, black truffle dishes, wild mushrooms, aged Comté, or braised short ribs.

95 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

A superstar of the vintage, the last time I tasted this was next to a rather pathetic performance of a very herbal, green, emaciated Petrus (one of the great deceptions of the vintage). This wine still has a very saturated opaque ruby/purple color that is far less evolved than almost any other 1985. The wine has sweet cranberry, black cherry, and blackberry fruit notes intermixed with mineral, cold steel, and a hint of cedar. Rich, full-bodied, with fabulous purity, a very well-delineated feel in the mouth, enormous richness, and a long finish that goes on for nearly 45 seconds, the wine seems to grow incrementally in the glass with increasing amounts of air, and is certainly a 1985 that has evolved at a snail’s pace compared to most wines of this vintage. Anticipated maturity: Now-2023. Last tasted, 5/02.

94 Points - Wine Spectator

Fabulous aromas of exotic fruits, chocolate, tobacco and earth. Full-bodied, with very velvety tannins and a long, rich fruit aftertaste. Could still use time to mellow, but it's a gorgeous glass of Pomerol.--L'Eglise Clinet vertical. Best from 2000 through 2008.