Château Clos Fourtet 2017/2020

Château Clos Fourtet is one of Saint-Émilion's most prestigious estates in Bordeaux, classified Premier Grand Cru Classé (B). Superbly located at the top of the limestone plateau, right at the entrance to the medieval town of Saint-Émilion, the "Clos" (walled vineyard) is famous both for its wines and its impressive underground cellars.

The Wine Advocate
RP 94

Reviewed by: William Kelley

The 2020 Clos Fourtet offers aromas of dark berries, plum compote and pencil shavings, framed by well-integrated new oak. Medium to full-bodied, it has a rich core of ripe fruit wrapped in fine, powdery tannins, still youthfully firm, that assert themselves on the finish. This limestone terroir always yields low pH, so the wine keeps freshness and vivacity, even though its fruit flavours reflect the heat and sunshine of the vintage.

Like its neighbour Canon, Clos Fourtet sits on the Saint-Émilion limestone plateau, with shallow soils directly over the bedrock; but while Canon faces south/south-west, Clos Fourtet is more north-facing and so slightly later-ripening. Since its purchase by the Cuvelier family in 2001, the vineyards have been extensively replanted at higher density, and a massal selection has been propagated on a large scale from 2018. Now the vines are maturing, as is the winemaking style: there's less and less malolactic fermentation in barrel, the vinification is gentler and more classically inspired, and new oak is chosen discreetly, favouring elegance over impact.

Published: 6 April 2023.

The final tasting note from James Suckling for Château Clos Fourtet 2020 (rated in bottle) highlights the wine's elegance and precision. He gave it 97 points.

Aromas: Suckling describes a "very sophisticated and classy" nose, with subtle notes of orange peel, sweet tobacco and currant.

Palate: Medium-bodied, with "fine-grained, polished" tannins. It stands out for its freshness and long, persistent finish.

Conclusion: He considers it a "linear and focused" wine, suggesting that although it already shows great quality, it's currently "very closed" and will benefit hugely from time in the cellar.

Drinking Window: He recommends starting to drink it from 2027