Château La Clotte Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé 2022 i trækasse

Bettane et Desseauve

Falstaff

Deep dark ruby garnet, violet reflections, subtle lightening of the edges. Intense blackberry confit, ripe plums, an inviting bouquet, a hint of nougat and orange zest are highlighted. Juicy, full-bodied, chocolaty and round, ripe, fine tannins, sticks, could be drunk straight away, sure aging potential.

Bettane & Desseauve

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

This is a wine that is worth watching every year right now, growing in confidence, precision, flesh, and terroir character. Brilliantly fleshy plum and raspberry fruits, chocolate, salinity, with a charred coffee bean edge. Harvest September 8 to 27. Conversion to organic farming began in 2020. 100% new oak, and new equipment in the winery, with smaller-sized vats. Great stuff from the Vauthier family.

Tastingbook.com

Jean-Marc Quarin

Markus del Monego MW

Vert de Vin Magazine

(85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc) Joli nez concentré et offre de l’intensité ainsi que de la concentration. On y retrouve des notes de mûre noire, de petits fruits noirs écrasés et plus légèrement de poivre noir frais associées à des touches de fraise des bois fraiche ainsi qu’à des pointes de thé noir frais et à une discrète pointe de lys. La bouche est joliment dense, concentrée et offre de la richesse, un côté finement serré ainsi qu’un côté presque sanguin. Une jolie matière avec de l’onctuosité. En bouche ce vin exprime des notes de cassis écrasé, de mûre écrasée et plus légèrement de groseilles écrasées associées à une touche de cerise rôtie, de petits fruits bleus écrasés ainsi qu’à des pointes de salinité, de thé Ceylan, de chocolat et à de fines pointes de gousse de vanille Bourbon. Les tannins sont élégants, précis et fins. Une discrète pointe de torréfaction en fin de bouche/persistance. De la sapidité.

Alexandre Ma

Although the toasty aroma of the barrel is still quite prominent, upon swirling the glass, the fragrance of violets bursts forth, climbing up the walls with its delicate tendrils. The juicy and succulent flavors of fresh fruit envelop the palate, soon followed by a salty, limestone finish. Amidst the ever-growing list of flamboyant Saint-Émilion, Château La Clotte stands out as a timeless classic, a manifestation of "vin de terroir" which safeguards the soul of Saint-Émilion limestone with pure authenticity.

The Drinks Business

(St Emilion; 85% Merlot; 15% Cabernet Franc; tasted at Ausone). This is fabulous as it so often is. Black cherry and plump rich dark berry fruit – blueberries, mulberries, brambles. There’s so much cedar here too and so much vertical lift. Sumptuous, opulent and gracious. Texturally fabulous with a broad and quite massive frame and yet so much density and concentration too. La Clotte in 2022 is a wine of purity and precision more than complexity per se but it’s incredible to achieve such crystallinity in a wine so dense. It is also very long on the finish, with a gentle taper all the way to the vanishing point on the distant horizon. Power in finesse. A monster in silk pyjamas; an elephant in a duck-down duvet. 96-98.

Jeb Dunnuck

Coming from vines southwest of the village and 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, the 2022 Château La Clotte is one of my favorites in the lineup from the Vauthier family in 2022. Ripe black cherries, red plums, espresso, baking spices, and a beautiful sense of minerality all define the aromatics, and it's medium to full-bodied, with nicely integrated oak, ripe tannins, and a great finish.

Terre de Vins

La Revue du Vin de France

Robert Parker

From a holding on the limestone plateau just outside the village, the 2022 La Clotte is one of the high points of the Vauthier portfolio this year, offering up attractive aromas of cherries, minty blackberries and raw cocoa, followed by a medium to full-bodied, supple and charming palate with a deep core of fruit, lively acids and refined tannins.

The Wine Independent

A blend of 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, La Clotte 2022 is deep garnet-purple in color. It sashays out with provocative notes of spiced plums, boysenberry preserves, and potpourri, leading to hints of star anise and black olives. The full-bodied palate is rich, plush, and perfumed, delivering fantastic freshness and a long, wonderfully pure finish.

James Suckling

Intense fruit with cherries and redcurrants that are exuberant. Full and layered with lots of fruit. 85% merlot and 15% cabernet franc.

Antonio Galloni

The 2022 La Clotte is rich, sensual and super-expressive. An exotic mélange of succulent red fruit, cedar, tobacco, dried herbs and blood orange opens in the glass. More than anything else, the 2022 impresses with its balance and integrity. Already quite seamless in presentation, the 2022 is a gorgeous wine in the making. The blend is 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc, picked between September 8 and 27. Aging is expected to be 18 months. Drinking window : 2027-2042

The Vintage Journal

Deep crimson. Wax polish, shellac, dark plum vanilla aromas. Sweet fruited but oak dominant palate with juicy dark plum, vanilla, wax polish earthy flavours, sturdy and chalky tannins, very good richness and mineral length with bittersweet notes. 85% Merlot 15% Cabernet Franc 15% alc

Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider

Black plums, black cherries, licorice, and black raspberries with a floral edge lead to a richly-textured wine loaded with supple, creamy, soft, dark red fruits, licorice, spice, and salty chocolate that comes in at the backend of the finish. The wine blends 85% Merlot, with 15% Cabernet Franc. 15% ABV, 3.73 pH. Drink from 2025-2040.

VV Wine

(85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 15% alcohol) The nose clearly shows mineral notes, chalk and clay, damp stone, clear violets, a real perfume. Creamy texture on the palate, rich fruit, impressive tannin quality, very elegant despite high alcohol, finest tannins, great length with notes of mocha and prunes on the finish. A lavish wine.

Vinous

The 2022 La Clotte was picked 8 to 27 September and aged for 18 months in French oak. It has quite a floral bouquet with a light marine/briny tincture in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with smooth tannins, fine acidity, some oak to be assimilated but it has a gorgeous creamy texture. Certainly a step up from the 2021, this is a fine La Clotte that should drink well for 15 to 20 years.