Clos Fourtet 2021 (6.0L)

94-96 VM / 93-95 WA / 93-95 JD / 93-94 JS / 93 JA / 93 DE / 91-93+ WI

The 2021 Clos Fourtet is very clearly one of the wines of the vintage on the Right Bank. Towering in its stature, the 2021 is a regal wine endowed with tremendous energy and vibrancy. This classically austere Saint-Émilion oozes class from the very first taste. Blue/purplish fruit, spice, lavender and menthol are some of the aromas and flavors that build into the resonant, deeply pitched finish. What a wine. - Antonio Gallino, Vinous Media

A bend of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc, the 2021 Clos Fourtet offers up inviting aromas of wild berries and plums mingled with hints of black truffle, violets, potpourri and dark chocolate. Medium to full-bodied, supple and enveloping, it's lively and layered, with beautifully refined tannins, bright acids and a long, sapid finish. Harvest lasted until October 15, which shows in unusual depth and plenitude for the vintage. Tasted three times. - William Kelley, Wine Advocate

Another terrific Saint-Emilion from the upper plateau, the 2021 Château Clos Fourtet is 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Cabernet Franc that's pulled from 70% of the total production. The soils here include slightly more clay than its neighbor, Canon, and the wine is always a touch more powerful. The 2021 has 15% of the blend go through malolactic fermentation in barrel, and the élevage will span 16-18 months in 60% new oak. Dense purple-hued, with ample black fruits, roasted herbs, chocolate, and chalkiness, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a great mid-palate, ripe tannins, and one heck of a finish. It's an undeniable success that will shine in its youth yet also evolve gracefully. Tasted multiple times. - Jeb Dunnuck

A polished and creamy red with bright currant, raspberry and clove character. Silky, supple tannins and fresh acidity. Excellent length. - James Suckling

In years like 2021, you look to estates at the level of Clos Fourtet as ports in a storm, and this delivers, if not entirely escaping the influence of the vintage - a real sign of the issues, as this is such a brilliant wine, able to circumnavigate so many obstacles. You are going to find finesse and mouth watering salinity, marks of limestone and skill in the cellar, along with cool blue fruits and pumice-scrape salinity. It will fill out further during ageing, and will go the distance, but there is austerity here, and not the smile-inducing brilliance of a usual Clos Fourtet vintage. Tasted three times. A reasonable yield of 40hl/h (normal for the property) as its location again protected from frost. Clay-limestone soils. 50% new oak, 2% amphoras, saignée (for added concentration) on 20% of the vats. - Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

A little high toned initially, the fruit is bright with good acidity but lacks a little density with slightly astringent tannins. It's polished though, there is a nice clarity to the strawberry and red cherry fruit but is missing some weight on the mid-palate. Liquorice and crushed stone come in on the end showing the terroir in the glass. The tannins are fine and well integrated and support the black fruits, this is gentle and delicate. Perhaps less showy and forward than some but has a delicate and almost shy nature at the moment. A little bit harder to understand right now but this does feel well worked with refinement on show. It will be interesting to taste after ageing. Tasted three times. 3.6pH. A yield of 40hL/ha. 14-18 months ageing 50% new barrels, 48% second-fill barrels, 2% amphora. - Georgina Hindle, Decanter

Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2021 Clos Fourtet needs a lot of swirling to unlock notes of black cherry preserves, ripe blueberries, and violets, followed by hints of cracked black pepper and star anise. Medium-bodied, the palate is tightly wound with loads of delicate black fruit and spicy nuances, framed by ripe, rounded tannins, finishing long and fragrant. Yields were 34 hl/ha and the blend is 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc. It is aging in French oak barriques, 60% new. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Independent