2001 Clos l'Eglise Pomerol 750 ml

Perfectly Aged Pomerol Ready to Enjoy

Bordeaux collectors would have been wise to purchase the 95-point 2001 Clos l’Église Pomerol on release when Robert Parker declared it to be “one of the candidates for wine of the appellation in 2001.” Pomerol “produces some of the most expensive, exhilarating, and glamorous wines in the world,” according to Parker, and his 95 points put Clos l’Église shoulder-to-shoulder with the regal $3,000 Château Petrus. So if you lacked the funds or the foresight to claim a 2001 Clos l’Église in the early Aughts, don’t despair. Highly complex, with age giving silken tannins, but still showing a balanced vibrant core of fruit on the palate—in perfect condition and provenance at $200 per bottle.

What exactly changed at Clos l’Église in Pomerol that has seen Parker raving about “a succession of brilliant wines”? In short, everything, from the top down to the vines. 1997 was the year that Clos l’Église was purchased by the Garcin-Cathiard family, who ripped out their underperforming Cabernet Sauvignon to focus on the Merlot and Cabernet Franc that thrives in the Right Bank’s clay, gravel, and iron soils. Most importantly, they hired a Pomerol native by the name of Michel Rolland as their consulting winemaker.

By now, it’s hard to say anything new about Michel Rolland, whose hundred-plus clients and globe-trotting appointments have earned him the moniker “The Flying Winemaker.” When he made the 2001 Clos l’Église, Rolland was certainly not a newcomer, but he wasn’t the household name he is today. Looking back at the arc of his incredible career, it’s easy to see stunning turnarounds like the one he performed at Clos l’Église as what catapulted him into a Bordeaux winemaking legend.

Robert Parker knew the 2001 Clos l’Église was special both times he tasted it from the barrel. When he tasted it out of the bottle, he called it “stunningly rich, well-proportioned,” and “extremely long,” settled on the 95-point score, and nominated it as one of Pomerol’s best. Parker also believes Clos l’Église has some of the best aging potential in Pomerol. This wine is in the sweet spot right now. Give it a few days rest after it arrives, and no one ever has to know you missed out the first time around.