Château Clarke: 50th anniversary vertical tasting

When considering the finest estates of the Médoc, there is no shortage of names which spring to mind.

The 61 which comprise Bordeaux’s grands crus classés are likely first on any list, with top crus bourgeois châteaux following close behind.

Yet, it is unlikely that Listrac (together with neighbouring Moulis) will feature high on many wine lovers’ lists.

A reappraisal is needed.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of 11 Château Clarke wines

Granted AP status in 1957, the soils of Listrac are less uniform than those of Moulis, with Cabernet Sauvignon often struggling to fully ripen.

Despite the low profile of these appellations, which are located inland between Pauillac to the north and Margaux to the south-east, the results of the tasting showed that the Baron’s ambitions, combined with substantial investment and the benefit of careful ageing, were well placed.

Vertical tasting

Ten reds were shown, ranging from 1982 to 2018, together with the estate’s white, Le Merle Blanc. The château produces around 230,000 bottles of the grand vin and a mere 15,000 of Le Merle Blanc.

Some of the older wines, although clearly from a different era of winemaking and climate, astonished with their purity and youth. Baron Edmond always believed in this terroir, where clay-limestone soils encourage and require a high proportion of Merlot. The character of the place showed crystal-clear through all the wines which had been perfectly stored and sent direct from the château.

Château Clarke’s technical director, Fabrice Darmaillacq, introduced the estate and its wines, explaining that their objective is ‘to enhance all of our potential in the vineyard and cellar,’ and that the ultimate aspiration is for Château Clarke to be at the ‘level of the best grand crus in the Médoc.’

A succession of consultant winemakers have passed through the doors of Château Clarke, a list which reads like a veritable who’s-who of Bordeaux consultants from the past 30 years.

Emile Peynaud was involved with the 1982 and 1986 vintages, succeeded from 1990 by Jacques Boissenot – a vintage where Cabernet Franc was excluded from the blend, the wine being 53% Merlot and 47% Cabernet Sauvignon. ‘Château Clarke is always moving,’ Darmaillacq observed.

For the 2001, 2005 and 2010 vintages, Michel Rolland was consulting and, although his handprint was clearly recognisable in the richness and power of the wines, they have mellowed with age, becoming extremely fine examples of Listrac.

For the 2015 vintage, Rolland shared duties with Eric Boissenot (the latter only in the blending), with Boissenot taking over fully from 2016.

With the wines from 2001, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2018 all being a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, the importance of the property’s deep clay soils has been confirmed.

Winemaking

Since 1998, the château has adopted a much greater use of new barriques for malolactic fermentation, with significantly increased ageing in wood, undoubtedly adding a much greater glossiness to the wines.

Quality jumped again with the fine vintages of 2015 and, particularly, 2016 which saw Eric Boissenot now fully in charge as consultant oenologist, with a greater focus on balance and precision, allied to ripe fruit flavours.

It is surprising to see a Médoc wine with such high proportions of Merlot in the blend, but for lovers of this grape variety it is well worth considering as an alternative to grand cru classé wines from St-Emilion.

The wines of Château Clarke show lovely ripeness of Merlot fruit allied to the structure typical of the Médoc. They are clearly capable of extremely long ageing and are well worth seeking out.

New cellar

Looking to the future and the wines are set to get even better with the introduction of a brand new cellar and winemaking facilities in operation for the 2022 harvest.

Opened officially in June 2023, a near-€20 million investment that took more than three years to complete, has seen the number of stainless steel vats increase to 45, varying in size from 50-160hl for parcel-by-parcel vinifications and a dedicated space for the estate’s white wine, Merle Blanc.

There is also a new, panoramic tasting room overlooking the sprawling vineyards which are also part of a new future-proofing study to determine the most suitable grapes and rootstocks for the terroir.

See tasting notes and scores of 11 Château Clarke wines

The wines are listed in vintage order youngest to oldest

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