Winemaker Notes
The diversity of our terroir means that pieces of land just metres apart provide berries that are truly distinctive in character. At the highest points, a shallow limestone layer absorbs and re-diffuses the heat of the sun, yielding intensely concentrated berries bursting with minerals. Lower terrain holds dense clay and streaks of sand, bearing grapes rich in tannins, which reinforce the mid-palate of our wines. The fruits from individual plots mature in isolation until the final moment when they are brought together to give life to Clos Fourtet.
Tastings guide crucial choices that we must make throughout the year. They begin amongst the vines, as we pursue ideal levels of ripeness that align with Clos Fourtet’s identity. After the harvest we taste just as often, drawing samples from our vats and barrels, following and observing the mystical transformation. The remarkable complexity of wine eludes even the most advanced analysis, so the human palate remains the most reliable judge of future evolution and quality.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A real St. Emilion with such finesse and intensity. Aromas of blueberries, blackberries, graphite, subtle crushed limestone and dried and fresh flowers. Perfumed. Medium- to full-bodied with tight and polished tannins and a long, long finish. Such class. 87% merlot, 7% cabernet franc and 6% cabernet sauvignon. A gorgeous red.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2023 Clos Fourtet shows excellent power and drive, thoroughly filling the palate with layers of black fruits and savory spices. The wine’s depth and rewarding intensity give it real presence without sacrificing balance. Its structure and spice profile position it beautifully with a Northern Chinese pork dish such as cumin-spiced pork stir-fried with dried chilies and scallions, where the wine’s dark fruit and savory notes resonate with the dish’s aromatic heat and earthy spice. (Tasted: January 22, 2026, San Francisco, CA)
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Clos Fourtet is especially suave and refined this year, wafting from the glass with deep aromas of red berries, licorice, violets and pencil shavings, framed by a nicely integrated patina of new oak. Medium to full-bodied, supple and layered, with a velvety attack that segues into a bright, precise mid-palate, it's pure and lively, concluding with a mineral finish.
Barrel Sample: 94-96 -
Decanter
Gorgeous fragrance, really ripe and expressive, so floral and perfumed too. Lovely pure aromatic expression. Ripe but juicy raspberry and black cherry fruit - cool and so refreshing. I love the gentle style, it’s smooth with tannins that give body but no weight. More vertical than wide, it’s layered and delicate. Finessed as you expect from Clos Fourtet. Lithe, supple, mouthwatering, a certain density is there and the length is great. Cool but chalky too. There’s power here in the fleshiness but it’s juicy with a touch of oak and enjoyable bitterness on the finish. Ageing 40% new oak, 60% one year used barrels. 3.5pH. 46hl/ha yield.
Barrel Sample: 95 -
Jeb Dunnuck
Based on 87% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, the 2023 Château Clos Fourtet is one of the riper, sexier wines in the vintage. Ample cherry and currant-style fruit intermixed with smoky tobacco, damp earth, truffles, and spice all emerge from this very complex, balanced, layered Clos Fourtet. It has ample mid-palate depth, ripe, polished tannins, and outstanding length on the palate.
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Vinous
The 2023 Clos Fourtet was picked from September 14 to October 3 and aged in 40% new oak. The nose is very attractive and quite sensual in style with red cherries, crushed strawberries and incense. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, fresh, focused, pure and quite linear on the finish. This is much more classically styled than the 2022, and it conveys tenderness and persistence. Superb. –Neal Martin
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Wine Spectator
This is suave, capturing the fresh, lithe feel of the vintage in its core of damson plum and cassis, while iris and hibiscus hints dart in the background. Silky and refined in feel, with a long, subtle chalky underpinning that lets the fruit sail through steadily. Merlot, Caber- net Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.