Château L’Église-Clinet
Can there be any more complex interweaving of vinous families and names than in Pomerol, with all its Lafleurs, Églises, Clinets and Gazins? It is a system that seems designed to befuddle, although a visit to the region can do much to clear the fog of confusion; every time I walk across the vineyards of Pomerol, or drive from one property to the next, I broaden by just a little bit my understanding of the panoply of Pomerol estates, how they have evolved, and how they are related to one another.
Château L’Église-Clinet is a prime example of one of these ‘blended’ names, and like many properties in Pomerol it is, to be blunt, a very modest property. Indeed, this is true of many estates in this appellation; on the left bank it is impossible to overlook the likes of Château Pichon-Baron, Château Pichon-Lalande or Château Margaux, or indeed many other typically grand châteaux, but here on the right bank there is often little to distinguish one low-slung, terracotta-tiled farmhouse-come-chai from the next. But looks can be deceiving; in Pomerol the grandeur of the wine made at any one property can often far exceed the status that is suggested by the appearance of its château.
This is certainly true of Château Lafleur, and also Château Le Pin (it is perhaps noteworthy that since I first published this profile both properties mentioned have been blessed with new cellars – yet both remain understated in outward appearance). Château L’Église-Clinet is just one more example of Pomerol’s deceptively simple facade. The château is decidedly low-key, an attractive farmhouse built in 1850 which does its best to hide behind a row of tightly-pruned plane trees. Indeed, the entire estate is nothing to look at, but the wines made here are magnificent, and I would rank them right at the top of the appellation.
This profile examines the workings of this leading Pomerol domaine, with a focus on the man who was for many years the driving force here, the late Denis Durantou (1957 – 2020), in modern times two of his daughters Noëmie and Constance, who are now running the domaine, and of course their magnificent wines. But first, a little history, beginning with the Rouchut family.
