Chateau Clinet 2013

Château Clinet's decision to retain Cabernet Sauvignon — a deliberate holdover from pre-1956-frost plantings — is the defining transgression of this address on the Pomerol plateau, and nowhere is that structural backbone more legible than in a cooler, more austere vintage like 2013. The estate's 11.32 hectares sit at the plateau's highest point (35 metres), where Günz gravel over deep clay with iron-rich crasse de fer subsoil delivers drainage, heat retention, and a graphite-mineral precision that separates Clinet from the more purely Merlot-driven richness of its neighbours. The La Grand Vigne parcel — old-vine Merlot planted 1934, horse-ploughed due to vine age and tight spacing — contributes approximately 20% of total fruit, adding density and textural depth. Maceration ran approximately 28–30 days, malolactic fermentation was completed in French oak barrels, and the wine aged 16–22 months in French oak (approximately 75–80% new) before bottling unfined and unfiltered. Press wine was held separately and incorporated only if additional structure was warranted. In 2013, Clinet's Cabernet Sauvignon component provides the tensile frame that the vintage's natural freshness demands, producing a wine of linear mineral precision rather than plateau opulence. The drinking window remains open and evolving.