Today sees the release of Saint-Emilion’s Clos Fourtet, offered at £564 per 6 bottle case in bond.
Clos Fourtet has an enviable positioning on Saint-Emilion’s limestone plateau, where the soils impart a distinctive mineral accent to the wine, which is very much evident in the stunning 2022. When we tasted the 2022 Clos Fourtet, I was taken with how precise, elegant and streamlined the wine showed; a wealth of pure, dark fruit, with beautifully finessed, almost silky tannins. There is a real sense that nothing here has been forced, leading to a wine of great expression and precision. Beautiful, and one of the finest recent tastings of Clos Fourtet that I can remember.
Please see below for notes from Neal Martin, William Kelley, Jane Anson and Jeb Dunnuck.
2022 Clos Fourtet, Saint-Emilion
£564 per 6 bottle case in bond
95-97 points, Neal Martin, Vinous
The 2022 Clos Fourtet was picked from 9 to 27 September at 36hL/ha and vinified to a maximum of 24-26° Celsius. It has a gorgeous bouquet you could lose yourself in, with crushed strawberry, orange blossom and bunches of violet. The 40% new oak is extremely well integrated. The palate is refined with filigree tannins, one of the most mineral-driven Clos Fourtets I recall at this stage, with a sophisticated and harmonious finish. The prudent approach to the new oak pays rich dividends here. Mathieu Cuvelier and his team have overseen a sublime Saint-Émilion. Drink 2030-2070
94-96 points, William Kelley, The Wine Advocate
Now incorporating the vineyards of the former Grand Murailles, the 2022 Clos Fourtet is lovely, wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums, rose petals, orange zest and exotic spices. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and seamless, it's deep and complete, with a layered core of vibrant fruit and a long, saline finish. This is another terrific wine from this 19-hectare vineyard situated on the limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion, just outside the village. It's a blend of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon.
98 points, Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
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. Stéphane 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.
96-98 points, Jeb Dunnuck, jebdunnuck.com
Harvested around the 9th of September and based on 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc (it also includes grapes from the discontinued Grandes Murailles bottling), the 2022 Château Clos Fourtet reveals a vivid purple hue as well as aromatics of black cherries, blackberries, white flowers, and crushed stone. A quintessential Saint-Emilion from the upper plateau, it has an incredible sense of minerality as well as full-bodied richness, ripe tannins, a vibrant sense of freshness, and a great finish. The 2020 was brought up in 40% new barrels, with the balance in once-used oak and a tiny portion in clay amphora. Tasted twice.
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All the best,
Simon