CLOS FOURTET
2020 1er Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion
Market Insight: Clos Fourtet make an undeniably high quality wine and it achieves some huge scores - both critics concurred on their 95-97 in 2019 and the 2018 with its 98 from Galloni now sits at £500/6. That said, it has such strong contendors, it's tough to see quite what space it occupies within the market when compared to the likes of Pavie Macquin and La Gaffeliere. Back vintages reflect this, with little price growth.L&S (May 2021)
* 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.
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. Rating: 97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)
The 2020 Clos Fourtet is a towering, statuesque beauty that captures all the personality and character of this site in a wine that marries vertical intensity, power and explosive energy. Black cherry, gravel, menthol, sage, crushed rocks and chocolate all soar out of the glass. This is a tremendous showing from the Cuvelier family. Drinking range: 2030 - 2060 Rating: 98 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
Wonderful limestone character, walking the tightrope of tannins, acidity and fruit, remains pretty austere even after ageing, and this is one to put away for another six or seven years. Serious and concentrated, with creamy blueberry, raspberry and damson pueree appearing as it opens in the glass. 40 hl/ha yield. 18.5ha estate, that will increase in size as of the 2022 vintage due to incusion of neighbouring Les Grands Murailles. Stéphane Derencourt and Jean-Claude Berrouet consultants, Matthieu Cuvelier owner. Drinking range: 2028 - 2046 Rating: 97 Jane Anson, Decanter (Feb 2023)
The 2020 Clos Fourtet has a gorgeous, complex bouquet with ample red berry fruit, undergrowth, sage and hints of pencil box coming through with time. This is very classy. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins, perfectly judged acidity and seamlessly integrated new oak. Backward at the moment, this will require a few years in bottle, but it will age with style and panache. Drinking range: 2028 - 2060 Rating: 95 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Feb 2023)
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. Rating: 97 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Dec 2022)
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. Drinking range: 2028 - 2040 Rating: 94 The Wine Spectator, www.winespectator.com (Dec 2022)
While there is seemingly a forest of oak standing in front of the fruit this is still a forcefully fruity and heady wine with both black fruit and also blueberry tones in the mix. There are plum and mulberry nuances, too, which add to the complexity, but much of this exuberance is shut down by the earthy tannins which swarm the palate and dry everything out. This will be a medium to long-term wine and the fruit is reeling from the battering it is taking from the oak, but the fruit will win through given time. Rating: 17.5+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (Jun 2021)
A wine of stature and breeding, the 2020 Clos Fourtet is absolutely breathtaking from barrel. A rush of lavender, graphite, spice, licorice and espresso hits the senses. Vibrant and powerful, yet also remarkably light on its feet, the 2020 has so much of offer. All the elements are so crisp, so beautifully defined. The 2020 is all class. It is one of the most promising wines of this young vintage and a fabulous effort from the Cuvelier family. Don't miss it. Drinking range: 2035 - 2060 Rating: 96-98 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Jun 2021)
The 2020 Clos Fourtet was picked September 15–30 at 40hl/ha and matured in 50% new oak. It has an expressive, winsome bouquet of red and blue fruit, crushed rose and iris, touches of blood orange coming through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with svelte tannins and wonderful acidity. Harmonious and almost crystalline toward the finish. This is a very impressive Clos Fourtet that brims with freshness and persistence, gaining weight and depth over the course of an hour. It will battle the 2019 for supremacy. Drinking range: 2028 - 2060 Rating: 95-97 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2021)
The 2020 Clos Fourtet is a blend of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc, harvested from 15th to 30th September and weighing in with an alcohol of 14.5% and a pH of 3.6. It is being aged for 14-18 months in 50% new oak barrels, 48% second-fill barrels and 2% amphora. Deep garnet-purple in color, it comes bounding out of the glass with ripe, expressive notes of crushed black plums, juicy black berries and black cherry preserves, followed by hints of ground cloves, cinnamon stick, camphor and cedar chest. The medium to full-bodied palate is jam-packed with bright, vivacious black fruits, framed by velvety tannins and bags of freshness, finishing with great length. Drinking range: 2027 - 2057 Rating: 96-98 Lisa Perrotti-Brown, RobertParker.com (May 2021)
Plush damson and blueberry on the nose, there is juice and a tightrope walking concentration of fruits. An excellent Clos Fourtet, with a juicy edge where the magic of limestone in dry summers is very much showing through. A yield of 40 hl/ha. 14 to 18 months ageing in underground limestone cellars. 2021 sees 20 years of the Cuvelier family at Clos Fourtet and this is an excellent wine to showcase what a brilliant job they have done here. Score could go higher after barrel ageing. Drinking range: 2028 - 2044 Rating: 96 Jane Anson, Decanter (May 2021)
Deep purple. Pretty heady, complex nose. Appetising palate. Round, ripe tannins lurking beneath some pretty sophisticated fruit. Finishes dry and spreads out on the very end like a peacock's tail. Much drier than most St-Émilions, with seriously interesting freshness Drinking range: 2027 - 2043 Rating: 17 Jancis Robinson OBE MW - www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2021)
Clos Fourtet
Guarding the westerly approaches to St Emilion village was a fort that became a château – Campfourtet renaming itself Fourtet sometime in the 19th Century. The 19.2 hectares are split between two main blocks, 14 hectares immediately around the buildings, and a further 5 about 400 metres away. Often spoken of as among the better estates in St Emilion, it has only really lived up its potential greatness in recent years under the tenure of the Cuvelier family, who purchased Clos Fourtet in 2001. These Cuveliers are not related to the Léoville Poyferré Cuveliers, and came from outside the world of wine - Philippe was running the Guilbert / Niceday office supplies company. His son Mathieu helps to run the properties. The Cuveliers own Château Poujeaux, in Moulis-en-Médoc, and subsequently bought Clos Fourtet’s neighbour Château Grandes Murailles, although they have resisted the temptation to merge the two together. The vineyards are 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and only 5% Cabernet Franc, with an average age of 30 years. There is a tendency toward organic/biodynamic viticulture, although full conversion is still some way off.
Please make sure that you have read the terms of this offer which are different from those on the main website. If you are unclear as to what is involved in primeur purchases please do contact our private client team via email or on 020 7018 0187.
Ordering
Prices are all in bond by the case size stated.
Pre-Orders are a firm commitment to buy wines on release, as long as the release price is within the upper and lower price bands set by you on the pre-order form. Pre-orders will be fulfilled subject to availability but providing this firm commitment to buy effectively gives you priority and is a good idea for the most desirable wines.
Wines listed on the website can be ordered in the usual way via the website wishlist order form. You can also send orders directly to our private client team via email. Please note that, for the most sought-after wines, priority will be given to those who ordered the same wines last year and to those that have pre-ordered.
Confirmation
All orders will be confirmed by email and are binding unless written cancellation is received within seven days of email confirmation. Pre-orders are not binding if the release price is above your upper price band.
Invoices are all raised at the in bond price (excluding any duty and VAT) which will become payable at the prevailing rates when the wines arrive in the UK, should you wish to take duty paid delivery.
Payment is required on sight of invoice, by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We regret we cannot accept credit cards for en primeur orders. We reserve the right to apply a dunning charge of 2% per month on invoices unpaid after 30 days.
Delivery
- Shipment to our bond (at 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 £500. Orders below this total will be charged an administration and handling fee of £16.50+ VAT when invoices are issued. We will group deliveries and this is a charge for your entire purchases, not a per-case charge.
- Delivery of 2024 Bordeaux bought en primeur is expected during 2026. Delivery dates may vary as wines are shipped from Bordeaux at different times.
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). Immediate payment of invoices is then required by cash, cheque, debit card or bank transfer. We and our customers find that having a single invoice for the vintage is the simpler option but please note that confirmed orders are still binding even if the final invoice has not yet been issued.
Please specify on your wishlist order form where you would like the wines shipped on arrival in the UK. If this is to a third-party bonded warehouse, please specify the relevant account details. If the wines are required duty-paid we will issue a second invoice for duty and VAT at the prevailing rate when the wines are available for delivery.
Half-bottles, Magnums and larger bottles.
One of the additional advantages of buying en primeur is being able to order the wine in the format you want. While most of our listings are for 75cl bottles, we can source wines in any format that is offered by the Château. Please note that format requests cannot be changed once wines have been invoiced. Additional charges for special formats do apply and are as follows:-
- +£18.00 per case of 12 half-bottles
- +£30.00 per case of 24 half-bottles
- +£7.50 per case of 3 Magnums (2 bottles equivalent, 1.5 litres each)
- +£11.00 per case of 6 Magnums
- +£45.00 per individually boxed Double Magnum (4 bottles equivalent, 3 litres)
- +£60.00 per individually boxed Imperial (8 bottles equivalent, 6 litres) for Salmanazars, Balthazars, Nebuchadnezzars and Melchiors please enquire for availability and price.
Storage Options:
Wines bought en primeur won't arrive in the UK until 2026. If you do not wish to take home delivery at that point, you may wish to consider where you would like the wines shipped. Lea & Sandeman offers duty paid and in bond storage through a dedicated storage company called Elephant Storage. For more details on the terms and fees associated with storage please go to our Storage Homepage or contact our private client team for more information.