Chateau Clos FourtetChateau Clos Fourtet 2019

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.

The 2019 Clos Fourtet is another gem from the Right Bank that delivers the goods. From the upper, limestone plateau and always a bigger, richer wine than its neighbors (Canon, Beau-Séjour Bécot), it still shows incredible minerality and limestone character in its deep black cherry, currant, and mulberry fruits as well as scorched earth, chalky minerality, roasted herb, licorice, and white flower-like aromas and flavors. Rich, full-bodied, concentrated, and structured on the palate, it's flawlessly balanced, has ripe, broad, building tannins, an expansive mouthfeel, and a great, great finish. It needs a decade of bottle age, but it’s truly brilliant stuff.

The 2019 Clos Fourtet is a blend of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it charges out of the gate with energetic scents of crushed blackberries, juicy black plums, and black raspberries, plus suggestions of cedar, pencil shavings, and chocolate box. The full-bodied palate is taut and tightly wound with loads of black fruit and mineral layers supported by firm, grainy tannins, finishing with a spicy lift.