RONAN BY CLINET, BORDEAUX AOC WINES
Share what you enjoy, enjoy what you share
Château Clinet has carved its place in history with its eponymous wines. In 2009, the estate added Ronan by Clinet to its range, a collection of unpretentious, generous wines, inspired by the current owner’s philosophy and by the underrated potential of lesser-known terroirs. The labels bring Ronan to life: a dandy speeding along on his bicycle, eager to share the best things in life.
To understand Ronan by Clinet, it’s worth exploring the mantras Ronan lives by.
Harmony with nature
Having swapped his pair of Oxfords for a pair of boots, Ronan lives a few kilometres north-east of Bordeaux, immersed in the undulating landscape. Surrounded by his family, Ronan selects the vines whose fruit will create the wines that carry his name. Amidst orchards, beehives and grazing animals, these vineyards are precious dwellings where family life and work are, harmoniously, one and the same.
Power of good judgement
Ronan believes it is essential to take a step back before stepping forward in the right direction. Determined to make wines that represent the best of Bordeaux, he has sought juiciness and grace on the outskirts of EntreDeux-Mers, fresh acidity from Côtes-de-Bordeaux, and ravishing intensity on the limestone plateaus of Côtes-de-Castillon. Ronan and his team then sculpt Ronan by Clinet from the best fruit, producing wines that are teasing, expressive, seductive, and perfectly balanced.
Respect the time it takes
Although constantly busy and on the move, Ronan knows it is fundamental to pause and cherish the truly important things. Only time and attention allow him to uncover the deepest secrets of each terroir.
Ronan and his team harness the forces of Nature to bring the grapes to optimal maturity. In the winery, aromas and structure develop during months of ageing. Every second
devoted to expressing terroir contributes to Ronan by Clinet’s delightful complexity.
Build good relationships
However determined and independent, Ronan is well aware that only a strong, dynamic team can bring Ronan by Clinet to life – a chain of human talent linking root to glass. Ronan is surrounded by a family of loyal partners, from vineyard workers to label designers, from sommeliers to wine merchants, that move onwards and upwards together.
Make the most of it
The wildest adventure is life itself, with challenges at every corner. In the vines, Mother Nature can be spontaneous and unpredictable. But Ronan believes that each storm leaves the next glass half full.
Share life’s pleasures
Ronan loves to share – passions, ideas, feelings… or simply good times! Ronan by Clinet wines find their rightful place among friends, delighting the table as a glass is poured between lively exchanges and bursts of laughter. The wines are enjoyed with affection, enthusiasm and – in true Ronan spirit – the desire to continue sharing this pleasure.
Discover the world of Ronan by Clinet www.ronanbyclinet.com
This majestic and steep hill rises to a lofty height, while at its foot stands the elegant manor house of the Scharzhof estate, which has belonged to the Müller family since 1798. Despite its renown, the hill was not planted until the mid-18th century. Egon Müller is closely associated with the vineyard, and his father, of the same name, established that the site was capable of producing trockenbeerenausleses and eisweins of extraordinary quality. These are among the most prized wines in Europe, and bottles of the TBA regularly fetch more than £10,000 (2010, £12,000 Corney & Barrow).
Scharzhof is easily the best-known producer here, with its 8.5ha, but superb wines are also made by Kesselstatt, Van Volxem, and sometimes by some of the other owners, too. In vintages with botrytis, the wines combine intense sweetness with racy acidity, and despite their ethereal structure can live for decades. The best sectors are mid-slope, as the highest sectors can be too old, and lowest ones too fertile.
Until 1971, the site consisted of just 18ha of vines, but was expanded to its present surface, which may explain why some sectors are less highly esteemed.
Egon Müller admits he is at a loss to understand why Scharzhofberg is quite so exceptional, and modestly explains: ‘It’s a combination of small things.’ For Scharzhof itself, these include high-density plantings, many ungrafted vines, little water stress and blocks of vines far older than those belonging to its neighbours.
Although Scharzhofberg produces dry Rieslings of distinction, few would dispute that its most glorious wines are nobly sweet.
Try:
Egon Müller Scharzhofberger, Goldkapsel Riesling Auslese 2018 £2,110 Hedonism
Location Wiltingen, Saar, Mosel, Germany Owners Bischöfliche Weingüter Trier, Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, Scharzhof, Van Volxem, Vereinigte Hospitien, Von Hövel
Size 28ha
Altitude 180m-310m
Aspect South
Primary soils Deep grey/red slate
Grape variety Riesling
The legacy of California’s To Kalon vineyard, situated in Napa Valley’s Oakville appellation, is intertwined with that of Hamilton Walker Crabb, who, in 1853, ventured west from Ohio to California’s goldmines. Unsuccessful at prospecting, in 1868, he hit paydirt with the purchase of the first parcels that would become the ‘To-Kalon’ vineyard (Greek for ‘the highest beauty’).
Graeme MacDonald, co-owner, winemaker and historian at MacDonald Vineyards – owner of a portion of To Kalon – points to the experiments conducted in To Kalon to find an American rootstock resistant to phylloxera as evidence of its history of national interest. MacDonald also notes that the wines Crabb produced won global accolades no matter the grape variety. Echoing MacDonald, grower Andy Beckstoffer says: ‘What proves a vineyard’s worth and exceptionality is when world-class wines are made year after year, not just by one winemaker.’
Despite shifting owners, legal disputes and differences in farming and winemaking, the Cabernet-based wines from To Kalon are consistently top-scorers. Andy Erickson of To Kalon Vineyard Company says the geological cocktail of volcanic, oceanic and alluvial soils lend classic Cabernet notes of ‘soft, velvety textures, dried herbs, cassis and blackberry’. Geneviève Janssens, chief winemaker for Robert Mondavi Winery, says the wines possess ‘a dynamic mouthfeel, with freshness and salinity’, owing to Napa’s Mediterranean climate and oceanic fog.
Schrader Cellars partner-winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown says: ‘At the Yountville-Oakville border, wine profiles go from red-fruited and
savoury to more dark-fruited and structured heading north. To Kalon sits in the cross hairs, making the wines incredibly complex, with all elements amplified, but all in equal proportion.’
Try:
Schrader Cellars, RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
US$475 Widely available through US retailers
Schrader Cellars, RBS Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 £275 (ib) Fine & Rare
Cliff Lede, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 £195 Four Corners
Robert Mondavi Winery, The Reserve To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 £123-£139 Christopher Keiller, The Fine Wine Co, Vinvm
MacDonald, Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 £842-£862 Hedonism, Vintage California
Tor, Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 £319 (ib) Crop & Vine
Location Oakville, Napa Valley, California, USA
Size 339ha, with 274ha planted to vine
Altitude 43m-81m
Aspect Primarily 1°-2° (east to northeast), total range 1°-5° (southeast to north)
Primary soils Bale loam, bale clay loam, Coombs gravelly loam, and cobbles
Grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon
Owners Constellation Brands Inc (177ha); Opus One Winery (41.27ha); Beckstoffer Vineyards (33.59ha); Detert Family Vineyards (7.28ha); MacDonald/Horton (6.07ha); University of California, Davis (5.26ha); Napa Valley Grapegrowers (0.32ha); Wilsey/Traina (0.08ha)