Chateau Clos Fourtet 2020

LISA PERROTTI-BROWN: "Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Clos Fourtet is a little closed to begin, starting off with cedar and crushed rocks notions before scents of black cherry compote, wild blueberries, and dark chocolate emerge, plus suggestions of violets and licorice. The full-bodied palate is packed with tightly wound, muscular black fruits, supported by ripe, fine-grained tannins and bold freshness, finishing long and mineral-laced. The blend is 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc."

THE WINE CELLAR INSIDER: "Scoring at the top of my range from my barrel scores, this is a majestic vintage for Clos Fourtet. With stunning levels of concentration, intensity, purity and sensuality, the wine paints your palate with layer after layer of black and red fruits. The velvet-drenched finish seals the deal with its seamless, mineral driven finish that builds, lingers and expands. Drink from 2026-2060."

JEB DUNNUCK: "Much more closed and backward now from bottle, the 2020 Château Clos Fourtet is nevertheless a brilliant Saint-Emilion that ranks with the crème de la crème of the vintage. A blend of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc, its deep purple hue is followed by an incredibly pure, classic Saint-Emilion bouquet of darker cherry and cassis-like fruit as well as chalky minerality, lead pencil shavings, and white flowers. Concentrated, full-bodied, and flawlessly balanced, it has perfectly integrated oak, an incredible sense of minerality, good acidity, and a great finish. It's going to need a solid decade of bottle age but will evolve for 30-40+ years in cold cellars. The Château deserves far more attention in the market today as they’re consistently producing some of the greatest wines in a vintage."

JAMES SUCKLING: "Subtle aromas of orange peel, sweet tobacco and currants follow through to a medium body, fine tannin texture and a fresh finish. Extremely tight now, but persistent at the finish. Classy. Best of the triology. Drink after 2027."

WEINWISSER: "Komplexes Bouquet, Wildkirsche, heller Tabak, zarte Graphitnote und Veilchen. Am dicht verwobenen Gaumen mit seidiger Textur, betörender Extraktfülle, balancierter Rasse, engmaschigem Tannin - gerüst und durchtrainiertem Körper. Im konzentrierten Finale schwarzbeerige Konturen, tiefschürfende Terroirwürze, ganz großes St. Émilion-Kino."

DECANTER: "Gorgeous violet and blackberry aromas presage a palate with tannins at first creamy and enveloping but then powerful and structured. In the famous 2018-2019-2020 trio, this vintage gets my nod for the best wet stone raciness, even if it tastes almost like a barrel sample. A gorgeous minty freshness on the long finish. For current pricing, a steal."

WINE ENTHUSIAST: "This wine's structure is massive. Serious tannins are matched with generous black fruits. Acidity gives a succulent character at the back of all this dense texture. It's a wine to age. Drink from 2028."

FALSTAFF: "Tiefdunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, dezente Randaufhellung. Einladende dunkle Beerenfrucht, reife Zwetschken, etwas Lakritze, zart nach Nugat, facettenreiches Bukett. Saftig, komplex, straffe Tannine, dunkle Beeren und Kirschen, gute Frische, salziger Nachhall, im Moment noch unterentwickelt, bleibt gut haften, vielversprechendes Zukunftspotenzial."

THE WINE ADVOCATE: "The 2020 Clos Fourtet offers up aromas of dark berries, plum preserves and pencil shavings framed by nicely integrated new oak. It is medium to full-bodied, with a rich core of ripe fruit that's framed by powdery, youthfully firm tannins that assert themselves on the finish. This limestone site always delivers low pHs, so the wine remains fresh and vibrant, even if its fruit flavors are marked by the warmth and sunshine of the vintage."

WINE SPECTATOR: "Nicely rendered, this manages to belie the vintage's heat, with a focused and streamlined core of dark currant and blackberry fruit studded with licorice snap, violet, alder and tobacco notes along the way. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2028 through 2040."