Paul T, Missing My Beautiful Wife 24/7

9.4

I think this is the only 2020 Napa I have bought & tasted.
Opened one the day after they arrived which is way too soon to judge but it was better than expected for the vintage. Tons of sediment surprisingly. Winery notes below-
Owners: Florence & Daniel Cathiard
Produced and bottled on Cathiard Vineyard’s estate
Yields 2.5 tons / acre (37 hL/ha)
Average vine age 25 years
Grape variety 55% Cabernet Sauvignon
40% Merlot
5% Cabernet Franc
Alcohol 13.9%
Harvest dates From Sept. 10, 2020, to Oct. 2, 2020
Harvest Hand-harvested from our oldest hillside vineyard and
valley floor vines.
Winemaking Gentle de-stemming, optical sorting of berries
to ensure the best whole berries are utilized.
Grapes are transferred to fermentation vessels
by gravity and left to cold soak for up to 5 days.
Fermentation temperature maintained under 82F
(28C), with gentle manipulations by pump-overs
and punch-downs. After 30 days in tanks the wine is
drained, pressed, and undergoes a naturally occurring
malolactic fermentation in new
French oak.
Barrel-aging 16-18 months,
40% new French oak and 20% large foudres. — 7 months ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

Dates back to the Crusades & Scottish navigator, George Smith, owner in 18th century, followed by M. Duffour-Dubergier, Mayor of Bordeaux, then Louis Eschenauer, wine shipper. In 1990, Daniel & Florence Cathiard now own estate. A blend of 55% Cab Sauv, 40% Merlot, 4% Cab Franc, & 1% Petit Verdot. Dark red with dark berry fruit aromas, cedar and sweet spice. On the palate rich & complex ripe black fruit flavors, oak & cacao. Firm rich tannins, full, lingering, perfect balance. L-T aging. — 8 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

3000th post. 🎉 On the nose; sweet, lush; black cassis, liqueur notes, sweet tarry notes, rich, lush; blackberries, dark cherries, black plum, plum, caramel, mocha, caramel, baking spices, warm, moist, rich, dark soils and fresh dark florals. The body is M and the tannins are round and soft. She is a beauty. Ripe, rich; blackberries, black plum, plum, dark cherries, black raspberries & poached strawberries. liqueur notes, sweet tarry notes, dark chocolate, mocha, caramel, baking spices, menthol, warm, moist dark earth, soft leather, dry rock powder, sweet black tea, fresh violets, dark, red florals, perfect round acidity and a rich, round, elegant fruit driven finish that last and lasts. Photos of; Clos E'Lgise and estate vines, signage, Helen Garcin-Leveque and her husband Patrice Leveque and their barrel cellar. Producer history and notes...Clos L’Eglise is one of the older chateaux in Pomerol dating back to the 18th century. The same time the farmhouse that is still in use was constructed. At the time, Chateau Clos L’Eglise was a larger estate. It once had been apart of the Gombaude Guillot. Eventually the estate was split in half. On one side of the street, you had Chateau Clos l’Eglise; which was owned by the Rouchut family. Across the street sat Chateau Clos l’Eglise-Clinet, which was owned by the Mauleon family. After awhile, Clos l’Eglise Clinet eventually changed its name to Chateau l’Eglise Clinet which also simultaneously gave birth to what we know today as Clos L’Eglise. While the wines are now produced by Helene Garcin that was not always the case with Clos L’Eglise. At one point, the estate produced wines under a leasing arrangement held by the Rouchut family. The modern era of Clos L’Eglise began in 1975, when the property facilities were all redesigned and modernized by the Moreau family. The Moreau’s also owned Chateau Plince. The old, non temperature controlled wood tanks were replaced by stainless steel. The vineyards were also expanded. Instead of buying more vines, the owners simply planted land that was being used as a pasture. Imagine now, Pomerol land being used to feed cattle. In the past, the property was planted with a much larger percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon, near 20%. All the Cabernet Sauvignon vines were eventually ripped out and replaced by Merlot. The next step of it's evolution took place in 1997 when the Right Bank estate was sold to Sylvaine Garcin Cathiard by the Moreau family. If the Cathiard name sounds family, she is the sister of Daniel Cathiard, the owner of Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte. The sale set a new benchmark price for Pomerol when it sold for 12 million Euros! Today that price would be laughable! Prior to 2000, that was considered a huge price for Pomerol. Further investment was needed to replace the aging concrete vats and again modernize the facilities. In fact, the first vintage of Clos L’Eglise made by Helene Garcin was produced at Haut Bergey in Pessac Leognan. Helene Garcin also manages two estates in St. Emilion, Chateau Barde Haut, Chateau Poesia (Mendoza, Argentina) and Branon, which is situated in Pessac Leognan. Helene Garcin was put in charge of the property. She hired Michel Rolland as a consultant and a complete renovation of the facilities took place. Michel Rolland was eventually replaced by Alain Raynaud. Starting with the 2015 vintage, Thomas Duclos recently replaced Alain as the consultant. Their property is nearly 6 hectares. L’Eglise soils are rich clay, gravel and iron. It's located on a sloping hill near Chateau Clinet, Chateau L’Eglise Clinet and Chateau Trotanoy. Clos L’Eglise is planted to 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. On average, the vines are 35 years of age. There is one old parcel of Cabernet Franc that was planted in the 1940’s. Vinification of Clos L’Eglise takes place in 55 hectoliter, insulated, stainless steel tanks. The new steel tanks replaced the oak vats in 2012. Malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel. Clos L’Eglise is aged in 100% new French oak for between 16 and 18 months. The property also has a second wine, Esprit de L’Eglise. On average, about 1,200 cases of Clos L’Eglise are produced every year. — 9 years ago

Sipping Fine Wine

9.0

The estate dates back to the Crusades, and Scottish navigator, George Smith, the owner in the 18th century. He was followed by M. Duffour-Dubergier, Mayor of Bordeaux, and then Louis Eschenauer, a famous wine shipper. In 1990, Daniel and Florence Cathiard now own the estate. Dark plum red with dark berry fruit aromas, herb and spice from young Cab vines. On the palate complex sweet black fruit flavors and cacao notes. Firm tannins, rich and full, lingering, mineral ending, unlike the ‘10 wait a few years. — 8 years ago

Kritika Singh

9.2

Really smooth finish. Light bodied red. I tasted this wine at the chateaux and brought some back with me to Singapore! — 10 years ago