2009 Clos Fourtet St Emilion grand cru
Tasting notes, Robert M. Parker, The Wine Advocate, 100 rating
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 2009 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.
The wines of Clos Fourtet, Premier Grand Cru Classe, embody the finest of Saint-Emilion. Smooth, intriguing and seductive, their pure natural aromas are delicately woven together in a charming display of the unparalleled potential of our terroir. Our wines mark the culmination of all of our efforts, unveiling themselves as time passes - alive, developing and maturing.
Harvest : 2009
Blending : 88 % Merlot, 8 % Cabernet Sauvignon, 4 % Cabernet Franc
Alcohol : 14.5 % vol
Ageing : 18 months’ ageing with 80% new barrels
Stocked stored in our warehouse in Derbyshire, we deliver to all of the UK
All prices include the VAT and duty
Bottle size 75cl
