CLOS FOURTET
2015 1er Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion
Tasted at the UGC, it was one of the better made wines, that is certain, round and ripe at the entry, like so many this year, it does have a bit of glossy distinction to the blackberry pie fruit, and this does round out the tannin build to the finish and it is not to aggressive, but that it is still not all that succulent or shapely. At Stéphane Derenencourt's tasting (for he is the consultant oenologist), it showed significantly better, softer and easier, with just a tiny touch of sweetness and a more grown-up dry cool feel and more length. The 'score' is based on the second tasting. Rating: 92-93 L&S (Apr 2016)
* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.
The 2015 Clos Fourtet was picked between September 18 and October 12 at 42 hl/ha. This has an entrancing bouquet with ebullient red cherries, raspberry and allspice, hints of cedar manifesting in the background. Very harmonious and focused aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied with finely chiseled tannins, wonderful poise and a judicious dash of spice towards the energetic finish. What an outstanding Clos Fourtet. Tasted at the Clos Fourtet vertical in April 2023. Drinking range: 2025 - 2050 Rating: 96 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2025)
This feels exuberantly young, with ripe fleshy damson and blackberry fruits, balanced by a measured slow-build of acidity, giving precision and restraint. Touch of smoked caramel, even a flash of crème de cassis heat, set against oyster shell and saffran, and the complex interplay of flavour and texture that makes Clos Fourtet such an exceptional wine. 60% new oak, Stephane Derenoncourt and Jean-Claude Berrouet consultants. Drinking range: 2024 - 2045 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (Jun 2023)
The 2015 Clos-Fourtet has a sensual, warm bouquet with chestnut and smoke-tinged red fruit, well defined and more understated than its peers. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, elegant and refined, silky and smooth in texture with beautifully poised red cherry and cranberry notes toward the finish. A tang of tobacco lingers on the aftertaste. Stunning. Tasted blind at the Southwold 2015 Bordeaux tasting. Rating: 97 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jul 2019)
Blueberry, stone, mineral and dried-flower aromas follow through to a full body. Silky and polished tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Shows finesse, and polished with such sensitivity. Superb finish. Drink in 2022 but already a joy to taste. Drinking range: 2022 - Rating: 96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2018)
Blueberry, stone, mineral and dried-flower aromas follow through to a full body. Silky and polished tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Shows finesse, and polished with such sensitivity. Superb finish. Drink in 2022 but already a joy to taste. Drinking range: 2022 - Rating: 96 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2018)
Clos Fourtet is a drop-dead gorgeous beauty in 2015. Powerful, vivid and wonderfully nuanced, it exudes class. Inky red/purplish stone fruit, lavender, spice, mint and orange peel give the 2015 its myriad shades of nuance, but it is the wine's balance and total sense of harmony that elevate it to the realm of the profound. In 2015, Clos Fourtet has a bit more body and resonance than is typically the case. Beneath all of the fruit, however, the 2015 has more than enough energy and structural underpinning to drink well for many years. This is a stunning wine from the Cuvelier family and consulting winemakers Stéphane Derenoncourt and Julien Lavenu. The blend is 88% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc. Tasted three times. Drinking range: 2022 - 2045 Rating: 97 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2018)
The Cabernet Sauvignon is always a key feature of this wine, and it’s the case again here in 2015, providing structure and backbone. This is a little closed, but has the intensity, limestone-derived freshness and sheer class to age well in bottle. Drinking range: 2022 - 2030 Rating: 94 Tim Atkin MW, www.timatkin.com (May 2016)
A Stéphane Derenoncourt wine. Lively and fresh on the nose. Great balance and fruit. Dry on the end but very classic. Drinking range: 2024 - 2036 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2016)
Reticent nose but fragrant palate. Supple texture with plentiful but fine tannins. Length and freshness on the finish – the stamp of the limestone terroir evident. Persistent. Drinking range: 2023 - 2040 Rating: 93 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2016)
The 2015 Clos Fourtet is a blend of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc, and it was picked between 18 September and 12 October. It has a voluminous bouquet with sweet cassis and blueberry aromas, rather smudged with violets coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with rounded tannin, ripe and voluptuous, dark chocolate infusing the red and black fruit with a touch of mint on the structured, graceful finish. What a fabulous Saint Emilion from Mathieu Cuvelier and his team - Clos Fourtet with breeding and class. It deserves 5-8 years in bottle. Drinking range: 2022 - 2045 Rating: 95-97 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
The 2015 Clos Fourtet is unusually rich and sumptuous in this vintage. Exotic aromatics, a huge core of fruit and ample, soft contours give the 2015 much of its striking personality. Although quite racy and unctuous today, the 2015 is going to need a number of years to shed its baby fat before it is even close to showing all it has to offer. This is a compelling effort from the Cuvelier family and consulting winemakers Stéphane Derenoncourt and Julien Lavenu. The blend is 88% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 2% Cabernet Franc. Rating: 93-96 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2016)
A very pure, fresh but confident nose here, showing some rather roasted dark fruits, with a desiccated concentration, dried black cherry skins, dark and rather smoky. The palate seems remarkably restrained when tasted against many of its peers, which are more plush and exuberant. This feels more considered, still warmly textured of course, still a little plush in keeping with the vintage, still brimming with ripe tannins, with a charcoaly edge. But there is a lifted, perfumed fruit character to it. This is fresh, rather grippy, polished, with a dark, charcoal-tinged finish, warm and broad. A very dark and confident style here. The alcohol is said to be 14.5%, while on tasting I would have thought it a little lower, a good example of how the wines of this vintage seem to carry relatively higher alcohol levels very well. Wonderful potential. Rating: 17-18/20 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2016)
Enticing, with raspberry, plum and boysenberry fruit taking hold from the start, followed by lively spice and black tea notes. The finish is threaded with a fine chalky spine. Focused and refined. Rating: 94—97 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2016)
Clos Fourtet
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those of the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do call us, but see the 'practical notes' below.
Ordering
Prices are per case as listed 'in bond London'.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment from you to buy the wines you order on release, subject to the price being below the upper price of the estimated band on our website. You may also set your own upper price limit, lower or higher than ours. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability. Providing this firm commitment to us effectively gives you priority.
Wines listed on the website (after any pre-orders and allocations have been fulfilled) can be ordered in the usual way via the website order form or by email or telephone 020 7221 1982, always subject to stock remaining.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are contractually binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of the confirmation date, apart from pre-orders which are binding if the release price is below the top estimate or other price you have set.
Invoices are raised at the In Bond price, excluding any duty and VAT which will become payable at the prevailing rates on arrival of the wine if required duty paid.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or credit transfer. We reserve the right to charge 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (LCB Creek Road) and insurance are included in the in bond price.
- Delivery is free to Lea and Sandeman / Elephant storage accounts, both duty paid and in bond.
- Other deliveries (In Bond and Duty Paid) are also free subject to a minimum order from the offer of £1000, orders below this total will be charged £16.50+ VAT when the wine invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery for 2016 Bordeaux primeurs will probably be completed by October 2019, but we make no guarantee as to specific delivery times, and some of the Sauternes may be later.
Practical notes - how it works
We start a sale in each customer's name and add all their primeur orders to one sale which is invoiced at the end of the campaign (or when the customer wishes) for immediate payment. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option, but do please note that confirmed orders are still binding as above even if the final invoice has not been issued.
When the wine is shipped, unless previously specified we will assume that delivery is to be to bonded storage with Elephant Storage, but in any case, we will contact you requesting any alternative instructions. If you have another bonded delivery address you would like the wine to go to, please tell us at the time of ordering. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue invoices at the rates prevailing at the time for the excise duty (currently £25.98 per case) and the VAT (currently at 20%) on the total of the wine cost and the duty.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the bottle size you want. Even if a wine is only listed in one size, you can order any bottle or case size you want if the property supplies it, but you must order the case/bottle size you require and check that the correct size has been invoiced.
Additional charges are as follows:-
- +£15 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£15 per case of 6 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£35 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£45 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.