Producer · Bordeaux, France

Château Clinet

Château Clinet is a Pomerol estate up on the plateau, some 40 km out of Bordeaux. The Laborde family have owned it since 1999. Ronan Laborde now runs it, with Monique Bailly-Laborde looking after sales.

Its 11 or so hectares sit on some of the highest ground of the plateau, on clay and gravel over an iron-rich subsoil. Merlot leads, but the share of Cabernet Sauvignon is unusually high for Pomerol. That gives the wine extra backbone and freshness.

In 2009 Ronan started a separate Bordeaux label, made by the same team. The grapes come from partner growers on the right bank, in places such as Lussac, Castillon and Francs.

£17.49 a bottle