2009 Clos l'Eglise Pomerol 750 ml

“One of the sexiest wines in Pomerol,” according to Robert Parker, this 98-point Clos L'Eglise stunner ranked among the very best of Bordeaux in 2009. That’s no small feat, considering Parker described 2009 as “unquestionably the greatest Bordeaux vintage I have ever tasted in over 32 years of evaluating Bordeaux vintages.” 

We decided to check in on the wine, ten years in, and found it to be just as “sumptuous, fleshy [and] lavishly rich” as Parker described. After a decade in the cellar, this 2009 beauty is ready for its close-up.

Overlapping layers of plum pudding, blackberry, mocha, toasted vanilla, clove, tobacco and leather intertwine with dried violet, fresh loam, truffle, and freshly baked cobbler. And that’s just the aroma profile—making 2009 Clos L’Eglise a textbook example of just how enticingly complex a perfectly-aged Pomerol can be.

Firmly textured yet luxuriously opulent, with a gloriously full, rounded mouthfeel and soft, supple tannins. Wild plum and black raspberry evolve into rich leather and savory earth tones that linger on the palate into a toasted chocolate-tinged finish that stays with you for well over a minute. 

Clos L’Eglise is one of the great châteaux of Pomerol, right up there with Petrus, L'Evangile, Vieux Château Certan, and La Conseillante. This small, six hectare Pomerol property is situated between Châteaux Clinet and L’Eglise-Clinet, and likewise benefits from the very best terroir on Pomerol’s upper plateau.

Ever since the talented (and famously lovely) Hélène Garcin took over the estate in the late 1990s, the wines have come to rank amongst the best in Pomerol. Her vineyard manager husband Patrice Lévêque tends to the vineyard’s clay-gravel, iron-rich slopes, while superstar Right Bank legend Alain Reynaud consults, crafting a 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc blend that’s aged in 100% new oak. A mere 1,200 cases are produced each year, which is why this Clos L’Eglise is among the hardest 2009 Pomerols to track down ten years on. 

This 2009 Clos L’Eglise is classic as it gets in Pomerol, with a decadent richness that’s already drinking perfectly today, though it’s built to continue improving for another quarter-century. But with its 98-point score (the best ever from this estate), your window to taste this “fabulous” bottling is closing fast.