CRITIC REVIEWS
Robert M. Parker, Jr.
After tasting it three times from bottle, I am convinced this prodigious wine is one of the greatest young Bordeaux I have ever tasted. Inky blue/purple with notes of camphor, forest floor, blackberry, cassis, sweet cherries, licorice, the wine has stunning aromatics, unctuous texture and an almost inky concentration, but without any hard edges. With considerable tannin and just enough acidity to provide definition, this wine transcends even its premier grand cru classe terroir. It is certainly the finest Clos Fourtet ever produced. Give it 5-7 years of cellaring to allow some of its baby fat to fall away. There is certainly enough structure underneath to keep for 30-50 years. Bravo! From my barrel score of 95-98, I suppose I should have seen this perfect score coming, particularly considering what proprietor Philippe Cuvelier and estate manager Tony Ballu have accomplished over the last decade. This is one of the great terroirs of St.-Emilion, nearly 50 acres high on the clay beds and deep limestone plateau of the region, just a stone’s throw from the luxury hotel and restaurant Hostellerie de Plaisance. Yields were moderate at 34 hectoliters per hectare, and the final blend is 88% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon (somewhat unusual) and the rest Cabernet Franc, aged 18 months in 80% new oak.
Jane Anson
Graceful and vibrant ruby colour, beautifully blanced, this is rich and expressive, with a ton of exuberant ripe fruit, enveloped by velvety textured tannins, with smoked bacon, grilled damson, cloves and baking spices of a warm year, all held in check by limestone fingerprints that bring it back into line every time it threatens to go too far. Nothing here is drying, and the bitter black chocolate gives focus on the finish. A flash of crème de cassis heat, but so much heart and drawn out succulence. 80% new oak. Stephane Derenoncourt and Jean-Claude Berrouet consultants.