The 2012 Clos L'Eglise is wonderfully lifted in the glass, with plenty of Cabernet Franc aromatics woven throughout a core juicy, layered fruit. Rose petal, mint, cinnamon and sweet red berries grace the palate. Exquisite and beautifully nuanced throughout, the 2012 offers exceptional balance, with polished, silky tannins that round out the creamy finish. The 2012 is quite open today, but it could use another few years to soften further. The 2012 is 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. Proprietor Hélène Garcin and her husband Patrice Leveque continue to raise the bar here and at their other properties in the region.

A very balanced and pretty red with walnut, chocolate and dark-berry character. Green olives, too. Medium to full body and fine tannins. A delicious and pretty wine.

Predominantly Merlot with a good dollop of Cabernet Franc, this is lovely; vibrant on the palate with good energy and great fruit. Juicy and complex with a pretty firm structure but nice acidity too. Rich and chocolatey on the finish. Very nice.

The Grand Vin was picked from 26th until 28th September, including 15% Cabernet Franc. It has a tightly wound bouquet that requires patience, opening with aeration to reveal marine-tinged red and black fruit, with subtle floral notes. The oak is very well integrated here. The palate is medium-bodied with a succulent entry, plenty of sweet red fleshy fruit laced with white pepper and a touch of spice on the finish. There is good substance here with fine grip on the finish. This will have long-term potential. Tasted April 2013.

On the chunkier side for now, with ganache and espresso notes lending a lightly firm frame to the crushed plum and blackberry fruit. There's plenty of flesh here as well, and a roasted earth accent on the finish. Should knit together with cellaring. JM

The 2012 possesses a creamy texture along with a big, sweet bouquet of mulberry and black cherry fruit judiciously touched by smoky oak, graphite and forest floor notes. Round and generously endowed with a dense plum/purple color, fragrant aromatics, a medium to full-bodied mouthfeel, and silky tannins, it should age effortlessly for 12-15 years. Proprietor Helene Garcin-Leveque has fashioned another gorgeous wine from her 15-acre vineyard planted with 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. She also does a terrific job at her Pessac-Leognan estates of Haut-Bergey and Branon in addition to the St.-Emilion estate of Barde-Haut. This property has been on a qualitative hot streak since the late 1990s.

Deep purple-ruby. Brooding nose hints at dark cherry, violet and pepper. Starts sappy and juicy, with accessible, ripe black cherry, pepper and spice flavors, then turns mountingly tannic on the back half. Finishes with firm, dusty tannins that will require considerable patience. This serious Pomerol will likely develop more slowly than many other Right Bank wines from this vintage.

The 2012 Clos l'Eglise is a beautiful blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc from Hélène Garcin (whose family owns Barde-Haut, Branon and Haut-Bergey, as well as the Malbec producer in Argentina called Poesia). She has done a phenomenal job at this estate since the late 1990s. Rich, chunky, coffee, mocha and berry fruit jump from the glass of this medium-bodied wine that shows excellent fruit intensity, soft tannins and a juicy, round, mouthfeel. Drink it over the next 10-15 years.

Tasted blind. Rather occluded nose with some hemp/old-rope notes. Blackcurrant pastilles too. Lots of interest and fundament. I can almost taste those roots reaching deep into the Pomerol plateau! Super-impressive.

Menthol and plum on the palate, very chewy tannic feel, heavy body. Quite punishing structure at present, perhaps without the flavour interest to give this the longevity it seems to need. Medicinal flavours dominate the aftertaste. (RH)