Château Clinet, Ch. Clinet 1996, 12er owc

88 / 100 Robert Parker
The 1996 Clinet, a blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, was bottled a few days after Ronan Laborde's father took over the château in March 1999, spending 21 months in new oak barrels and five months in stainless steel. There was some funkiness at first, but it seems to gain a degree of clarity: scents of smudged red fruit, undergrowth, fennel and thyme, fully mature yet somehow speaking more of the winery than the terroir. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, a pleasant salinity on the entry, quite structured and not the usual voluptuous Clinet, as you would expect from this vintage. It is linear and perhaps a little broody, a slightly candied finish but rustic compared to other vintages, something that Robert Parker actually suggested might happen in one of his earlier notes. Comparing the two, I actually prefer the 1986 Clinet to the 1996. Tasted September 2016.
227, The Wine Advocate

88 / 100 Wine Spectator
Aromas of coffee, spice and raisin follow though to a full-bodied palate, with fine tannins and a silky and refined aftertaste. Slightly hollow center palate. The oak has turned to cream. At its peak.--'95/'96 Bordeaux retrospective. Drink now.
http://www.winespectator.com/wine/detail/source/search/not..

88 / 20 Jancis Robinson
In bottle. Mid to dark garnet. Vital nose with real energy and potential. Racy and a little bit muscular but with great dynamism. Firm with a great spicy appeal. Good acidity and still with some, but not uncomfortable, tannins. Complete and wonderful undertow. I was even more impressed by this than the 1995 which seemed a little wearier.
http://www.jancisrobinson.com/tastings/search?keywords=cli..