Clos Fourtet 2016

Particularly charming in character, seductive on the nose with notes of berries, spices, flowers and herbs, wonderfully fresh and easy to drink on the palate, yet with the necessary density.

Lively, with a juicy, mouthfilling mix of loganberry, black currant and bramble flavors pumping through, laced liberally with licorice snap and roasted apple wood notes. Tobacco and savory accents provide detail, while a beautifully fine chalky thread adds length. Best from 2022 through 2038. 4,583 cases made.

Displays a beautiful, enthralling perfume on the nose, intensely refined and lifted, drawing you in immediately. The palate is bright and fresh, with super-fine tannins that are elegant and seamlessly integrated. There’s a subtle sense of power, carrying the fruit gracefully through to a lingering, sophisticated finish. A very, very good St-Emilion, showcasing finesse, balance and aromatic allure in equal measure.

Love the dark-berry and intense black-olive and chocolate aromas that follow through to a full body and firm, chewy tannins delivering a rich and delicious finish. Such polish and, at the same time, finesse. But one for the cellar. A blend of 90 percent merlot, 7 percent cabernet sauvignon and 3 percent cabernet franc. Try from 2022.

The 2016 Clos Fourtet is vivid, explosive and simply captivating. Inky blue/purplish berry fruit, lavender, spice and white flowers are all vivid in the glass, but it is the wine's silky, seamless personality that elevates it into a place among the wines of the vintage. In 2016, Clos Fourtet is stunningly beautiful and utterly compelling. This is a tremendous showing from proprietor Matthieu Cuvelier and consulting winemaker Stéphane Derenoncourt. Tasted two times.

This has started to emerge from its youth and already offers a luscious expression of black and red fruits, licorice, salt, and flowers. The wine is rich, deep, concentrated, long, and silky, with a finish that easily hits the 50-second mark. Drink from 2023 to 2050.

Deep dark ruby in colour with an opaque core, purple reflections, and subtle brightening on the rim. A somewhat shy bouquet on the nose, with hints of nougat, dark berries, ripe cherry, delicately underlaid with orange zest. The palate is powerful and juicy, with ripe supporting tannins, blackberry, and cherry fruit notes, and a saline minerality on the lingering finish. Still needs time, the wine has certain ageing potential.

Pure nose, very chalky with notes of ripe dark berries, cassis, cherry, nougat, tobacco and fine oak. Ample and dense structure with a remarkable concentration – a bright freshness underneath, savoury and broad with good volume, finely chiseled tannins, layers of wild berry fruit and a very long grippy finish. Excellent.

One of the gems in the vintage that should be snatched up by readers is the 2016 Clos Fourtet. Coming from a magical 20-hectare vineyard located on the upper, limestone-driven plateau just outside Saint-Emilion and a blend of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc from small yields of 38 hectoliters per hectare, it spent 16 months in 60% new French oak (and a small portion of the blend saw malo in barrel as well). Its saturated purple color is followed by a monster bouquet of ripe blackberries, cassis, graphite, and crushed rocks, and it picks up more blue fruits, truffle, and limestone minerality with time in the glass. This deep, full-bodied, powerful Saint-Emilion has some similarities to Canon yet is deeper and richer, with a more powerful yet still elegant style. It’s a brilliant bottle of wine to hide for 4-5 years and drink over the following 2-3 decades.

90% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon, production: 50,000 bottles. Dark garnet with ruby highlights. Complex red-berry bouquet with cherry-tobacco and lingonberry notes. On the powerful palate with ripe extract, very dense, raspberry and redcurrant on the finish, very long finale. Riding a wave of elegance—with a clear sense of direction!

Kunz barrel sample 17: Opulent, fruity, sweet, velvety bouquet; blackberry jelly, black cherries, mocha, currants, tobacco, dark pralines. Creamy, dense, finely opulent palate with powerful, sweet fruit, plenty of fine tannins, a dense, opulent structure, intense aromatics, and a long, firm, aromatic finish. Can improve further.

Sappy, oyster shell, bitter black chocolate; pomegranate, pumice stone, great quality, approaching lift off and drinking window.

The palate, with its radiant geometry, shows great distinction. The very delicate tannins seem almost imperceptible. This cru charms with the fresh breadth of its pulpy substance.

The deep tension of a sanguine, juicy Merlot builds on the plateau’s depth. The early “combative ball of fruit” evolves into a black-fruit coulis, spiced with a touch of cinnamon and a hint of mint, revealing a terroir enhanced by biodynamics.

Nose of dark fruits, blackberry, blueberry. Lively palate, clean attack, full of pep, round, velvety tannins, long finish.

Like many 2016s, Clos Fourtet steps in on tiptoe. Admittedly, it’s known for this discreet way of making an entrance, but usually at the attack, not already on the bouquet! Here it follows the general trend of revealing the 2016s slowly! (Those that are already racing ahead are suspect!). The bouquet is of rare complexity. It highlights an infinite array of elements, yet always with a filigree touch. The attack is compact, elegant, lively, and precise. It paves the way for a powerful, dense, harmonious wine, ready to defy the many decades that will try to ensnare it. Given its serenity and power, it can simply smile politely at them (and laugh with cheerfulness!!) Bravo

Dark, intense, beautiful colour. Very aromatic, subtle nose, with pure, delicate fruit. A noble whole that develops truffled notes when the glass is swirled. Delicate on the attack, juicy on the mid-palate, aromatic and flavoursome, the wine turns a touch strict and firm on the finish. Normal length.

Lush, fruity, sweet, velvety bouquet: blackberry jelly, black cherries, mocha, currants, tobacco, dark chocolate. Creamy, dense, finely opulent palate with powerful, sweet fruit, plenty of fine tannins, dense, opulent structure, intense aromatics, long, bitter, aromatic finish. Can improve further. 18/20 2024 - 2040

This structured wine shows a classical Bordeaux balance between fruit and acidity on the one hand and tannins and firm structure on the other. It also offers generous black-currant fruit and a fresh aftertaste. Drink this wine from 2025.