Andrew Jefford: Dark black-purple in color. Very fine aromas— and remarkable, too. This is a fresh year, and Eglise-Clinet always has freshness, but in contrast to some of its peers, here you truly do get the full ripeness, that sense of fruit singing out untroubled by the leaves that gave that fruit its life. As with one or two other top wines, it can remind you of the freshness of cologne—with a citrusy-spicy chic and poise. Gloriously frank, fresh, and expressive. Oak is always present and palpable here but never obtrusive, and certainly not on this occasion. On the palate, this is rich, full, firm, and emphatic, and again the ripeness has been seized with remarkable confidence and precision, not a day too early, not a day too late. It is less tannic than some of its peers, but the tannins are palpable and resonant nonetheless and give it a definition and thrust that (for example) La Conseillante doesn’t quite have. Fresh, bright, cleanly ventilated Pomerol of trumpet-blast depth, purity, and clarity, and another wine that seems to build in the glass most impressively. 2018–27. 95

Michael Schuster: Dense, blackberry Merlot to smell; full, finely, firmly tannic; rich, dense, complex, flavorsaturated wine, all within a firm tannic frame; intense, generous, sapid, aromatic, and mouthcoating, long to taste and long to finish; a quietly powerful, gently muscular, fine complete Pomerol. 2026–40+. 93