1998 Chateau Clinet, Pomerol

Big and powerful, with lots of olive, brown sugar and jam. Soft and full, with round tannins. A voluptuous and wild wine. Juicy and exotic. Why wait on this full-throttle red? 100 percent Merlot.—'88/'98 Bordeaux blind retrospective (2008). James Suckling

Bright deep ruby. Slightly high-toned, superripe aromas of kirsch, black raspberry and chocolate; has a distinctly porty aspect. Sweet, dense and layered; flavors of blackberry and chocolate are at once mouthfilling and nicely delineated. Really huge material here. Finishes with substantial sweet tannins and very persistent dark berry, mocha and chocolate flavors. Clinet is always a difficult wine to taste early, as barrel samples oxidize quickly due to the very low levels of sulfur used during vinification and elevage, but this is an impressive sample.

I had high hopes for this wine prior to bottling, but Clinet often goes through a reduced, awkward stage following bottling. The 1998 reveals a dense, thick-looking purple color, as well as a closed bouquet. With coaxing, notes of damp earth, spicy new oak, truffles, blackberry and plum fruit emerge. Dense, with jagged tannin, considerable power, and a roasted, chocolatey character, this wine has not yet meshed together. I had hoped it would be less disjointed, but I still feel there is a strong likelihood that it will deserve an outstanding score. However, patience will be required. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2020.

The 1998 Clinet, which was bottled by Ronan’s father just after acquiring the property, has a deep garnet core with a tawny rim. Now at 20-years old it has a well-defined bouquet with brambly red fruit, briary and pressed flowers, perhaps without the presence of fruit that I was expecting. The palate is medium-bodied with a sappy black fruit opening, quite assertive on the entry with a sweet core of fruit. It just cuts away a little quickly compared to more recent vintages. Tasted at the château.