1998 Eglise Clinet

97 POINTS

Harvey Steiman - Wine Spectator

Aromas of dark chocolate and blackberry, with hints of black olives. Full-bodied, with chewy, polished tannins and loads of ripe fruit, tapenade and flowers. A complex and complete wine. Still needs time. One of the best ever from here.—'88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). Best after 2010. 1,085 cases made.

96 POINTS

Neal Martin - Wine Advocate

The Château l'Eglise-Clinet 1998 has developed an absolutely stunning bouquet: precocious, glycerin-rich red cherries, cassis, violets and minerals all beautifully defined and so intense. The palate is full-bodied with ripe tannin, layers of sweet blackberry and wild strawberry fruit intermingling with white pepper, cumin, black truffle and tar. There is a crescendo towards the finish that just fans out across the mouth. After 17 years (which makes me feel old, as I remember tasting it from barrel), it is a Pomerol that will take on all comers in the appellation with the exception of the 1998 Petrus. It will give 40-50 years worth of drinking pleasure. Tasted March 2015.

96 POINTS

James Suckling - Wine Spectator

Truly gorgeous. Rich and thick yet refined and precise. Crushed raspberry and berry character rises from the glass. Full-bodied, with loads of fruit, fine tannins and an extremely long finish. Best after 2010. 1,085 cases made.

94 POINTS

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

This wine has been so impressive over the last decade that it can now be said to rival Petrus. This effort should turn out to be one of the longest-lived Pomerols of the vintage. It is backward, and has closed down since bottling, but make no mistake about it ... this is a dazzling, serious vin de garde. An opaque purple color is followed by a restrained but promising bouquet of sweet black raspberries intermixed with vanillin, caramel, and minerals. The wine is full-bodied, powerfully tannic, beautifully textured, and crammed with extract (an assortment of black fruits). While it is bursting at the seams, purchasers will need to wait a minimum of 7-8 years. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2035.