Chateau Clinet lies at the highest point of the Pomerol Plateau on the Gunz gravel terrace, origin of the appellation’s most prestigious crus. It’s a remarkable terroir of old gravel and deep clay over a subsoil of clinker. The vines sink roots 5 metres deep where they are gently warmed by naturally occurring volcanic stones.

The estate has been producing some of the world’s most prestigious wines for centuries. The Belleyme Map, published in 1785, shows the terroir of Chateau Clinet was already exclusively under vine.

Since the 1980s, Jean-Michel Arcaute has managed the vineyard. He has been instrumental in revolutionizing them, replanting with Merlot instead of Cabernet and introducing hand-harvesting, manual selection, and a longer cuvaison.

Merlot accounts for the vast majority of grape varieties (90%) with the remainder being made up of Cabernet-Sauvignon (9%) and Cabernet Franc (1%). The total area under vine is 11.3 hectares and the average age of the vines is 40 years.

The vines are grown with total respect for the environment, giving pride of place to tilling and grassing rather than using chemicals and the human hand over machines.

The vinification process for Chateau Clinet aims to maintain the freshness, finesse and character. Harvesting is always carried out manually, and following meticulous selection, gravity delivers the grapes to the vats. The cellar layout allows good traceability from the vineyard to the end of the aging period. The production of a well-defined parcel can be followed in each vat, then each barrel.

On average, fermentation and maceration lasts for one month, whereupon the wine is transferred into barrels. ‘Free run’ wines are separated from ‘pressed’ wines, and then aged separately. The wine is aged in French oak barrels. around 60 percent new with the remaining being one-year old.

The 2023 Clinet from Pomerol, Bordeaux, is a Bordeaux Blend red wine that has garnered considerable attention from wine critics. This wine, produced by Clinet, is a modern-style Pomerol that blends 75% Merlot with 25% Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes were harvested from September 13-20 for the Merlot and September 25-26 for the Cabernet Sauvignon. The vintage is noted for its deep garnet-purple color and rich, complex aromatic profile.

James Suckling awarded the wine an impressive 96 points, praising its full-bodied nature and poised character. He noted, "This is full-bodied yet tight and poised, with a pretty, pure center-palate of ripe fruit and fine, integrated tannins. Classy presence. May be better than 2022."

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave the wine 95 points, highlighting its rich and layered composition. William Kelley described it as "Rich and layered, the 2023 Clinet wafts from the glass with aromas of dark berries, spices, and licorice, framed by creamy new oak. Medium to full-bodied, deep, and complete, with a rich chassis of powdery tannin underpinning its sweet core of fruit."

Vinous also rated the wine 96 points, with Antonio Galloni calling it "powerful and racy right out of the gate," and noting its "crushed flowers, spice, mocha, and a kiss of French oak meld into a core of dark red- and black-toned fruit."

Jeff Leve from TheWineCellarInsider.com gave the highest rating of 97 points, emphasizing the wine's energetic and vibrant palate. He noted, "Lilacs, violets, smoke, spice, cherries, plums, licorice, orange rind, and chocolate mint fill the aromatic profile. On the palate, the wine is energetic, vibrant, long, and up-beat."

Jane Anson, Jeb Dunnuck, and The Wine Independent each rated the wine 95 points, with Jane Anson appreciating its "great balance and careful extraction," and Jeb Dunnuck calling it "flat-out gorgeous."

Decanter provided a more conservative score of 93 points, noting its ripe red fruit and spicy aromatics but mentioning "rather firm tannins with some drying extraction."

Overall, the 2023 Clinet is a highly praised wine, characterized by its deep color, rich aromatics, and complex palate. It is poised to age well and develop further complexity, making it a standout choice for collectors and enthusiasts.