Chateau Clinet lies at the highest point of the Pomerol Plateau on the Gunz gravel terrace, origin of the appellation’s most prestigious crus. It’s a remarkable terroir of old gravel and deep clay over a subsoil of clinker. The vines sink roots 5 metres deep where they are gently warmed by naturally occurring volcanic stones.

The estate has been producing some of the world’s most prestigious wines for centuries. The Belleyme Map, published in 1785, shows the terroir of Chateau Clinet was already exclusively under vine.

Since the 1980s, Jean-Michel Arcaute has managed the vineyard. He has been instrumental in revolutionizing them, replanting with Merlot instead of Cabernet and introducing hand-harvesting, manual selection, and a longer cuvaison.

Merlot accounts for the vast majority of grape varieties (90%) with the remainder being made up of Cabernet-Sauvignon (9%) and Cabernet Franc (1%). The total area under vine is 11.3 hectares and the average age of the vines is 40 years.

The vines are grown with total respect for the environment, giving pride of place to tilling and grassing rather than using chemicals and the human hand over machines.