1949 Château l'Église-Clinet

Virtually perfect, the 1949 L'Eglise-Clinet was one of a series of older vintages from this estate that possessed mind-boggling richness, extraordinary intensity, unctuosity, and that quintessential kirsch/black-cherry essence exhibited by its near-by neighbor, Chateau Lafleur. The 1949 L'Eglise-Clinet revealed an opaque purple color with no signs of lightening at the edge. In the glass, it looked more like port than a dry red table wine. There is extraordinary viscosity, thickness, and extract to this full-bodied, colossal L'Eglise-Clinet. Still young, there is not a hard edge to be found because of the wine's low acidity and ripe tannin. This must be one of the century's most underrated great wines. It should continue to drink well for another 25 years. As disappointing as the 1948 Haut-Brion can be, the 1949 can be outstanding. In this tasting, it revealed some of the textbook cigar, ashtray, tobacco-scented notes, as well as scents of roasted herbs and ripe fruit. The color was a medium garnet with considerable rust at the edge. Medium-bodied, round, sweet, and soft, this wine is past its prime, although it remains exceptional. Drink it up. The notes for this wine are taken from the description of Series II - Flight C of the 1995 tasting conducted in Munich by Helga and Hardy Rodenstock. Many years after the tasting from which this note derives allegations were made concerning the authenticity of old and rare bottles of wine sold by Hardy Rodenstock to collectors around the world. The matter has been the subject of numerous articles, litigation and at least one book. Mr. Parker believes that the wines served to him at this tasting were authentic so this note and the others from that specific tasting continue to be posted on eRobertParker.com.