Chateau Clinet Pomerol 1996

WA91-94: The most concentrated wine produced in Pomerol in 1996, Clinet has turned out an inky-colored, highly-extracted, powerful wine with hefty tannin. Yet it has more than enough depth, richness, and extract to pull it through over the next quarter century. One of the most backward Clinets I have tasted, the 1996 offers restrained, sweet scents of blueberries, overripe plums, violets, and black truffles. Medium-bodied, with superb concentration, as well as ferocious tannins, this unevolved, large-scaled vin de garde should turn out to be impressive, provided purchasers have the patience to wait for at least a decade. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2023. Very impressive, but patience will have to be a virtue of this wine's purchasers.