In the heart of Pomerol lies an understated 11-acre estate with a cult following. Owned by the same family for a century, Château L'Église Clinet now thrives under the leadership of Denis Durantou. Operating with what Jane Anson of Decanter calls a “maniacal attention to terroir,” Durantou strives for the purest expression of the land. The property’s clay and gravel soil is planted to Merlot (85 percent), old-vine Cabernet Franc (14 percent), and Malbec (1 percent). With a quarter of plantings more than 75 years old, L’Église Clinet is home to the largest planting of old vines in Pomerol. Because the estate produces just about 1,000 cases annually and consistently wins praise from critics, Château L'Église Clinet has been recommended as a top investment by Philip Staveley of The Drinks Business.

The average age of the vines (55-65 years old) is one of the factors that make the wines from this chateau so admirable. They start out as juicy, concentrated and lush, and with time, become the personified elegance for which Pomerol has become famous.