Château Clinet: The Modern Era
When the estate was sold in 1879 it was purchased by a gentleman named Guibert Barrat, a solicitor. Within a few years, perhaps in financial difficulty, Barrat appears to have sold off two sections of vines, which were absorbed into the neighbouring domaines of Château L’Église-Clinet and Clos L’Église. Before long Barrat threw in the towel altogether, putting the estate back on the market, only for it to be acquired by a gentleman named Rideau some time just before the turn of the century. Perhaps like Antoine Constant, and maybe Guibert Barrat, Rideau also struggled, as phylloxera had devastated much of the region during the 1870s. Whatever his reason, he soon sold the vines to a man named Lucquot.
Jean-Baptiste Lucquot kept hold of the estate for a little longer than the previous owners, subsequently passing the property to his daughter, Germaine Lucquot. She married Jean-Louis Audy, presumably one of the Audy family who also run Château Bonalgue and Clos du Clocher. Widowed at a young age, Germaine maintained control for many years, subsequently leaving the estate to her son, Georges Audy, and so the property was now firmly in the hands of the Audy family. Georges was a négociant, and he was perhaps more concerned with his business activities than the Clinet estate. Despite this he held on to the estate through the 20th century, although it does not seem as though this was a particularly fine era for Château Clinet; commentators of the time have not, as a rule, had many kind words for the wines.
