Clos Fourtet
About Clos Fourtet
Previously known as Camfourtet, Clos Fourtet was used as a fort in Saint- Émilion during the middle ages. At one point in the late 18th century, it shared the same owner as Château Figeac. The estate was formally named Clos Fourtet in 1868 under the Rulleau family, who was also responsible for building the château. Up till 2001, Clos Fourtet came under various owners including the Ginestet and Lurton families, legendary names associated with top Bordeaux estates such as Château Margaux and Cheval Blanc respectively. The Cuvelier family acquired Clos Fourtet in 2001 and placed Matthieu Cuvelier in charge. The 20-odd hectare vineyard of Clos Fourtet is planted to approximately 83% Merlot with the rest made up of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Vines are regularly replanted to maintain an average vine age of 35 years. Practitioners of organic and biodynamic farming, Clos Fourtet continues to produce stellar wines of power and elegance.
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Inc. VAT£513.40
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Inc. VAT£864.04
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Wine Advocate (89)
On one of the three occasions I tasted the 1996 Clos Fourtet from bottle I rated it outstanding (90 points). The color is a saturated dark ruby. The nose offers up sweet black raspberry and blackberry fruit intermixed with toasty oak and floral scents. It is fleshy, surprisingly expansive and forward for a 1996, with low acidity, and a long, multilayered, fruit-driven finish. The tannin is ripe, and thus the fruit comes forward and the wine is seductive and charming. This wine possesses the weight, richness, and extract to last for 15-20 years, but it should be drinkable early. I would not be surprised for readers to feel my score is too conservative based on how well this wine is showing. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2018.Inc. VAT£499.69 -
Vinous - Neal Martin (93)
The 2008 Clos Fourtet has a tightly wound bouquet with raspberry, cranberry and light tertiary aromas, a touch of bell pepper in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin. This Clos Fourtet boasts impressive body, almost sinewy in style, a backward 2008 Saint Émilion from Mathieu Cuvelier although I was smitten by its persistent spicy aftertaste. It clearly deserves a couple more years in bottle. One to watch carefully. (Tasted at BI Wine & Spirit’s annual 10-Year On tasting.)Inc. VAT£1,639.27 -
Wine Enthusiast (96)
95-97 Barrel sample. Black, dense fruits, licorice and dark chocolate over prunes and ripe figs. This is a spicy wine, with the acidity of the fruit forming a great balancing counterweight. Very complete.Inc. VAT£794.81 -
Wine Advocate (98)
Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Clos Fourtet is a little closed to begin, opening out to reveal notes of baked black cherries, blueberry preserves and dried mulberries plus hints of cast-iron pan, fertile loam and cigar box with a waft of sandalwood. Full-bodied, the palate has a rock-solid frame of firm, grainy tannins and compelling freshness supporting the muscular fruit, finishing long and mineral laced. Very impressive!Inc. VAT£1,749.67 -
Wine Advocate (93)
This is another brilliant offering from Philippe Cuvelier, who has totally revolutionized the quality of this famous estate. The 2011 Clos Fourtet exhibits a dense blue/purple color as well as beautiful notes of creme de cassis, blueberries and raspberries, a complete as well as layered mid-palate, sweet tannin, good acidity and a charming personality. This is a highly successful effort for the vintage. Consume it over the next 10-12 years.Inc. VAT£870.04 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (91-93+)
The 2013 Clos Fourtet opens with beguiling aromatics. Smoke, slate and new leather meld into a core of dark fruit as this sumptuous St. Emilion opens up in the glass. One of the richer, more resonant wines of the vintage, the Clos Fourtet impresses for its volume and pure breadth. The perfumed, limestone-inflected finish is distinctly Burgundian in its essence. The 2013 finishes with notable sweetness and density for the year. There is a lot to like here. Sadly, production is down 50%. The blend is 88% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. Tasted two times.Inc. VAT£891.64 -
Vinous - Neal Martin (97)
The 2015 Clos-Fourtet has a sensual, warm bouquet with chestnut and smoke-tinged red fruit, well defined and more understated than its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, elegant and refined, silky and smooth in texture with beautifully poised red cherry and cranberry notes toward the finish. A tang of tobacco lingers on the aftertaste. Stunning. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.Inc. VAT£715.24 -
James Suckling (97)
Love the dark-berry and intense black-olive and chocolate aromas that follow through to a full body and firm and chewy tannins that deliver a rich and delicious finish. Such polish and, at the same time, finesse. But one of the cellar. A blend of 90 per cent merlot, seven per cent cabernet sauvignon and three per cent cabernet franc. Try from 2022.Inc. VAT£874.24 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (96)
The 2017 Clos Fourtet is vivid, rich and super-expressive. Beams of salinity give the 2017 its energy and shape. In the glass, the 2017 is wonderfully vivid and nuanced. Lavender, mint, blue fruits and blood orange all build into the beautifully layered, exquisite finish. In 2017, Clos Fourtet is all class. This is a terrific showing from the Cuvelier family. Tasted three times.Inc. VAT£813.64 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (98)
The 2018 Clos Fourtet is one of the most elegant, refined wines of the vintage. Silky and aromatically expressive, Clos Fourtet is all grace. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and sage all lift from the glass. Even with all of the natural richness of the year, Clos Fourtet sizzles with tension and delineation. Then again, that is the magic of the Saint-Émilion plateau. Clos Fourtet is easy to look past in 2018. It is neither exuberant nor exotically ripe. Instead, everything is in reserve. The 2018 is a magical wine, that's all there is to it. Don't miss it.Inc. VAT£835.24 -
Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (98)
20ha of prime St Emilion limestone, punching at the very top of its game. This is muscular, less exuberant than the exceptional 2018 but this is still easily one of the wines of the vintage, salinity and austerity but creamy in texture, with pure, well chiselled blueberry, blackberry and raspberry fruits with peony flowers on the finish. Biodynamic farming, but not certified. 38hl/h yield. 50% new oak, 2% amphoras.Inc. VAT£213.20 -
Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (98)
20ha of prime St Emilion limestone, punching at the very top of its game. This is muscular, less exuberant than the exceptional 2018 but this is still easily one of the wines of the vintage, salinity and austerity but creamy in texture, with pure, well chiselled blueberry, blackberry and raspberry fruits with peony flowers on the finish. Biodynamic farming, but not certified. 38hl/h yield. 50% new oak, 2% amphoras.Inc. VAT£745.20 -
Jeb Dunnuck (97-99)
One of the biggest successes on the upper plateau is the 2020 Château Clos Fourtet, and it does everything right in the vintage. A magical, perfumed bouquet of red plums, black cherries, white truffle, and white flowers just screams Saint-Emilion, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, flawless overall balance, a dense mid-palate, and a liqueur of rocks-like minerality on the palate. Building incrementally with time in the glass, this is thrilling stuff that should offer some up-front appeal in its youth yet benefit from 7-8 years in the cellar and keep for 30 years or more. Bravo! The blend is 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc that’s still resting in 50% new French oak.Inc. VAT£1,518.07 -
Jeb Dunnuck (97-99)
One of the biggest successes on the upper plateau is the 2020 Château Clos Fourtet, and it does everything right in the vintage. A magical, perfumed bouquet of red plums, black cherries, white truffle, and white flowers just screams Saint-Emilion, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, flawless overall balance, a dense mid-palate, and a liqueur of rocks-like minerality on the palate. Building incrementally with time in the glass, this is thrilling stuff that should offer some up-front appeal in its youth yet benefit from 7-8 years in the cellar and keep for 30 years or more. Bravo! The blend is 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc that’s still resting in 50% new French oak.Inc. VAT£627.23 -
Jeb Dunnuck (97-99)
One of the biggest successes on the upper plateau is the 2020 Château Clos Fourtet, and it does everything right in the vintage. A magical, perfumed bouquet of red plums, black cherries, white truffle, and white flowers just screams Saint-Emilion, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, flawless overall balance, a dense mid-palate, and a liqueur of rocks-like minerality on the palate. Building incrementally with time in the glass, this is thrilling stuff that should offer some up-front appeal in its youth yet benefit from 7-8 years in the cellar and keep for 30 years or more. Bravo! The blend is 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc that’s still resting in 50% new French oak.Inc. VAT£861.64 -
Jeb Dunnuck (97-99)
One of the biggest successes on the upper plateau is the 2020 Château Clos Fourtet, and it does everything right in the vintage. A magical, perfumed bouquet of red plums, black cherries, white truffle, and white flowers just screams Saint-Emilion, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, flawless overall balance, a dense mid-palate, and a liqueur of rocks-like minerality on the palate. Building incrementally with time in the glass, this is thrilling stuff that should offer some up-front appeal in its youth yet benefit from 7-8 years in the cellar and keep for 30 years or more. Bravo! The blend is 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc that’s still resting in 50% new French oak.Inc. VAT£780.04 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94-96)
The 2021 Clos Fourtet is very clearly one of the wines of the vintage on the Right Bank. Towering in its stature, the 2021 is a regal wine endowed with tremendous energy and vibrancy. This classically austere Saint-Émilion oozes class from the very first taste. Blue/purplish fruit, spice, lavender and menthol are some of the aromas and flavors that build into the resonant, deeply pitched finish. What a wine.Inc. VAT£726.29 -
Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (98)
Mathieu Cuvelier marks 20 years of the Cuvelier family at Clos Fourtet with this vintage, and it's a wonderful attestation to the potential of limestone plateau location for coping with a changing climate in Bordeaux. Visually arresting in its deep plum and violet colour, with a luscious texture, and plenty of subtle red roses and peony floral aromatics. Creamy black and blue fruits, and sublimely well measured tannic extraction, with crunchy salinity on the finish, oyster shell and salt-flecked chocolate notes. Super smooth finish. First year with the addition of Les Grandes Murailles vineyard. StŽphane Derenoncourt and Jean-Claude Berrouet consultants (working together since 2009). Not too interventionist, no cold soaks here, natural yeasts, with whole bunch ferments for the young vines. Harvest September 9 to 27. 3.54ph. 40% new oak, 58% second-fill barrels, 2% amphoras.Inc. VAT£790.49 -
(6x75cl) 2023
James Suckling (97-98)
This is so full of energy. It’s full-bodied with electrified tannins and a long, long finish. So polish and focus here with exquisite balance and length.Expected Price Range£451 - £535
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In Bond£415.00
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In Bond£704.00
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Wine Advocate (89)
On one of the three occasions I tasted the 1996 Clos Fourtet from bottle I rated it outstanding (90 points). The color is a saturated dark ruby. The nose offers up sweet black raspberry and blackberry fruit intermixed with toasty oak and floral scents. It is fleshy, surprisingly expansive and forward for a 1996, with low acidity, and a long, multilayered, fruit-driven finish. The tannin is ripe, and thus the fruit comes forward and the wine is seductive and charming. This wine possesses the weight, richness, and extract to last for 15-20 years, but it should be drinkable early. I would not be surprised for readers to feel my score is too conservative based on how well this wine is showing. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2018.In Bond£410.00 -
Vinous - Neal Martin (93)
The 2008 Clos Fourtet has a tightly wound bouquet with raspberry, cranberry and light tertiary aromas, a touch of bell pepper in the background. The palate is medium-bodied with grippy tannin. This Clos Fourtet boasts impressive body, almost sinewy in style, a backward 2008 Saint Émilion from Mathieu Cuvelier although I was smitten by its persistent spicy aftertaste. It clearly deserves a couple more years in bottle. One to watch carefully. (Tasted at BI Wine & Spirit’s annual 10-Year On tasting.)In Bond£1,334.00 -
Wine Enthusiast (96)
95-97 Barrel sample. Black, dense fruits, licorice and dark chocolate over prunes and ripe figs. This is a spicy wine, with the acidity of the fruit forming a great balancing counterweight. Very complete.In Bond£657.00 -
Wine Advocate (98)
Deep garnet in color, the 2010 Clos Fourtet is a little closed to begin, opening out to reveal notes of baked black cherries, blueberry preserves and dried mulberries plus hints of cast-iron pan, fertile loam and cigar box with a waft of sandalwood. Full-bodied, the palate has a rock-solid frame of firm, grainy tannins and compelling freshness supporting the muscular fruit, finishing long and mineral laced. Very impressive!In Bond£1,426.00 -
Wine Advocate (93)
This is another brilliant offering from Philippe Cuvelier, who has totally revolutionized the quality of this famous estate. The 2011 Clos Fourtet exhibits a dense blue/purple color as well as beautiful notes of creme de cassis, blueberries and raspberries, a complete as well as layered mid-palate, sweet tannin, good acidity and a charming personality. This is a highly successful effort for the vintage. Consume it over the next 10-12 years.In Bond£709.00 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (91-93+)
The 2013 Clos Fourtet opens with beguiling aromatics. Smoke, slate and new leather meld into a core of dark fruit as this sumptuous St. Emilion opens up in the glass. One of the richer, more resonant wines of the vintage, the Clos Fourtet impresses for its volume and pure breadth. The perfumed, limestone-inflected finish is distinctly Burgundian in its essence. The 2013 finishes with notable sweetness and density for the year. There is a lot to like here. Sadly, production is down 50%. The blend is 88% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. Tasted two times.In Bond£727.00 -
Vinous - Neal Martin (97)
The 2015 Clos-Fourtet has a sensual, warm bouquet with chestnut and smoke-tinged red fruit, well defined and more understated than its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, elegant and refined, silky and smooth in texture with beautifully poised red cherry and cranberry notes toward the finish. A tang of tobacco lingers on the aftertaste. Stunning. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting.In Bond£580.00 -
James Suckling (97)
Love the dark-berry and intense black-olive and chocolate aromas that follow through to a full body and firm and chewy tannins that deliver a rich and delicious finish. Such polish and, at the same time, finesse. But one of the cellar. A blend of 90 per cent merlot, seven per cent cabernet sauvignon and three per cent cabernet franc. Try from 2022.In Bond£712.50 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (96)
The 2017 Clos Fourtet is vivid, rich and super-expressive. Beams of salinity give the 2017 its energy and shape. In the glass, the 2017 is wonderfully vivid and nuanced. Lavender, mint, blue fruits and blood orange all build into the beautifully layered, exquisite finish. In 2017, Clos Fourtet is all class. This is a terrific showing from the Cuvelier family. Tasted three times.In Bond£662.00 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (98)
The 2018 Clos Fourtet is one of the most elegant, refined wines of the vintage. Silky and aromatically expressive, Clos Fourtet is all grace. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and sage all lift from the glass. Even with all of the natural richness of the year, Clos Fourtet sizzles with tension and delineation. Then again, that is the magic of the Saint-Émilion plateau. Clos Fourtet is easy to look past in 2018. It is neither exuberant nor exotically ripe. Instead, everything is in reserve. The 2018 is a magical wine, that's all there is to it. Don't miss it.In Bond£680.00 -
Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (98)
20ha of prime St Emilion limestone, punching at the very top of its game. This is muscular, less exuberant than the exceptional 2018 but this is still easily one of the wines of the vintage, salinity and austerity but creamy in texture, with pure, well chiselled blueberry, blackberry and raspberry fruits with peony flowers on the finish. Biodynamic farming, but not certified. 38hl/h yield. 50% new oak, 2% amphoras.In Bond£175.00 -
Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (98)
20ha of prime St Emilion limestone, punching at the very top of its game. This is muscular, less exuberant than the exceptional 2018 but this is still easily one of the wines of the vintage, salinity and austerity but creamy in texture, with pure, well chiselled blueberry, blackberry and raspberry fruits with peony flowers on the finish. Biodynamic farming, but not certified. 38hl/h yield. 50% new oak, 2% amphoras.Inc. VAT£745.20 -
Jeb Dunnuck (97-99)
One of the biggest successes on the upper plateau is the 2020 Château Clos Fourtet, and it does everything right in the vintage. A magical, perfumed bouquet of red plums, black cherries, white truffle, and white flowers just screams Saint-Emilion, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, flawless overall balance, a dense mid-palate, and a liqueur of rocks-like minerality on the palate. Building incrementally with time in the glass, this is thrilling stuff that should offer some up-front appeal in its youth yet benefit from 7-8 years in the cellar and keep for 30 years or more. Bravo! The blend is 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc that’s still resting in 50% new French oak.In Bond£1,233.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (97-99)
One of the biggest successes on the upper plateau is the 2020 Château Clos Fourtet, and it does everything right in the vintage. A magical, perfumed bouquet of red plums, black cherries, white truffle, and white flowers just screams Saint-Emilion, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, flawless overall balance, a dense mid-palate, and a liqueur of rocks-like minerality on the palate. Building incrementally with time in the glass, this is thrilling stuff that should offer some up-front appeal in its youth yet benefit from 7-8 years in the cellar and keep for 30 years or more. Bravo! The blend is 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc that’s still resting in 50% new French oak.In Bond£512.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (97-99)
One of the biggest successes on the upper plateau is the 2020 Château Clos Fourtet, and it does everything right in the vintage. A magical, perfumed bouquet of red plums, black cherries, white truffle, and white flowers just screams Saint-Emilion, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, flawless overall balance, a dense mid-palate, and a liqueur of rocks-like minerality on the palate. Building incrementally with time in the glass, this is thrilling stuff that should offer some up-front appeal in its youth yet benefit from 7-8 years in the cellar and keep for 30 years or more. Bravo! The blend is 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc that’s still resting in 50% new French oak.In Bond£702.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (97-99)
One of the biggest successes on the upper plateau is the 2020 Château Clos Fourtet, and it does everything right in the vintage. A magical, perfumed bouquet of red plums, black cherries, white truffle, and white flowers just screams Saint-Emilion, and it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, flawless overall balance, a dense mid-palate, and a liqueur of rocks-like minerality on the palate. Building incrementally with time in the glass, this is thrilling stuff that should offer some up-front appeal in its youth yet benefit from 7-8 years in the cellar and keep for 30 years or more. Bravo! The blend is 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc that’s still resting in 50% new French oak.In Bond£634.00 -
Vinous - Antonio Galloni (94-96)
The 2021 Clos Fourtet is very clearly one of the wines of the vintage on the Right Bank. Towering in its stature, the 2021 is a regal wine endowed with tremendous energy and vibrancy. This classically austere Saint-Émilion oozes class from the very first taste. Blue/purplish fruit, spice, lavender and menthol are some of the aromas and flavors that build into the resonant, deeply pitched finish. What a wine.In Bond£586.00 -
Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (98)
Mathieu Cuvelier marks 20 years of the Cuvelier family at Clos Fourtet with this vintage, and it's a wonderful attestation to the potential of limestone plateau location for coping with a changing climate in Bordeaux. Visually arresting in its deep plum and violet colour, with a luscious texture, and plenty of subtle red roses and peony floral aromatics. Creamy black and blue fruits, and sublimely well measured tannic extraction, with crunchy salinity on the finish, oyster shell and salt-flecked chocolate notes. Super smooth finish. First year with the addition of Les Grandes Murailles vineyard. StŽphane Derenoncourt and Jean-Claude Berrouet consultants (working together since 2009). Not too interventionist, no cold soaks here, natural yeasts, with whole bunch ferments for the young vines. Harvest September 9 to 27. 3.54ph. 40% new oak, 58% second-fill barrels, 2% amphoras.In Bond£639.50 -
(6x75cl) 2023
James Suckling (97-98)
This is so full of energy. It’s full-bodied with electrified tannins and a long, long finish. So polish and focus here with exquisite balance and length.Expected Price Range£451 - £535