CLOS FOURTET
2022 1er Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion
Mathieu Cuvelier marks 20 years of the Cuvelier family at Clos Fourtet with this vintage, and it's a wonderful attestation to the potential of limestone plateau location for coping with a changing climate in Bordeaux. Visually arresting in its deep plum and violet colour, with a luscious texture, and plenty of subtle red roses and peony floral aromatics. Creamy black and blue fruits, and sublimely well measured tannic extraction, with crunchy salinity on the finish, oyster shell and salt-flecked chocolate notes. Super smooth finish. First year with the addition of Les Grandes Murailles vineyard. Stéphane Derenoncourt and Jean-Claude Berrouet consultants (working together since 2009). Not too interventionist, no cold soaks here, natural yeasts, with whole bunch ferments for the young vines. Harvest September 9 to 27. 3.54ph. 40% new oak, 58% second-fill barrels, 2% amphoras. Drinking range: 2030 - 2050 Rating: 98 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2023)
* 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 2022 Clos Fourtet is fabulous. Rich, sensual and layered, the 2022 bristles with the energy found in the best wines of the year. Clean veins of minerality frame a core of red/purplish fruit, lavender, sage, mint, rose petal and mocha. Simply put, the 2022 is a magical Clos Fourtet. This is the first vintage that incorporates fruit from what used to be Grands Murailles. Drinking range: 2032 - 2052 Rating: 96-98 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (Apr 2023)
The 2022 Clos Fourtet was picked from 9 to 27 September at 36hL/ha and vinified to a maximum of 24-26° Celsius. It has a gorgeous bouquet you could lose yourself in, with crushed strawberry, orange blossom and bunches of violet. The 40% new oak is extremely well integrated. The palate is refined with filigree tannins, one of the most mineral-driven Clos Fourtets I recall at this stage, with a sophisticated and harmonious finish. The prudent approach to the new oak pays rich dividends here. Mathieu Cuvelier and his team have overseen a sublime Saint-Émilion. Drinking range: 2030 - 2070 Rating: 95-97 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2023)
Really lovely. Very elegant - and very charming weight of fruit. Strawberry crush and lovely peps of raspberry. Fresh green leaves, gentle note of petals and lovely mineral cool wind comes in at the back end. Fresh and very long. And such a beautifully sleek finish with lifted aromatics. Matthieu Cuvelier has really pulled it out of the bag this year- and it is hard to find any faut with the 2022 Clos Fourtet. The great vineyard - one block in prime position on the limestone plateau provided irresistible fruit, He kept temperature low for fermentation - to respect fruit and tannic structure. Whole berries, no crushing. Lost a bit of volume this year - but with addition of Grandes Murailles (3/4 of which went into the grand vin) they made up this difference. 40% in new oak this year - which is a big reduction for Clos Fourtet, Matthieu really wants to let the bright fruit - and superb saline edge shine in 2022. He explains that despite the heat this year is not exotic like 2009 and has much more acid and better balance than 2003. He thinks the vine was stressed right from the start of the season - and so it learnt to cope with the excesses. They kept the grass covering the ground to try and keep it cool. L&S (Jun 2023)
91 Merlot, 5 Cabernet Sauvignon, 4 Cabernet Franc. 60% new oak. 14.5% alc. Following the impressive 2021, this is an even more demonstrative wine with trademark Clos Fourtet muscle under a wonderfully exotic perfume and keen, long, refined finish. This is my favourite vintage of Clos Fourtet I have ever tasted, and it is the balance of fruit, power, oak, tannin, acidity, and, most importantly, the specific piece of turf where this wine comes from that makes it so special! Rating: 18+ Matthew Jukes www.matthewjukes.com (May 2023)
This is the first vintage in which vines from the two hectares of Grandes Murailles on the limestone plateau are part of the blend at Clos Fourtet. This is a superb 2022 that reveals, in a magnificent yet un-demonstrative style, terrific aromatic nuance. The texture is seductively suave and the wine lasts eternally, finishing on amazing saline and chalky notes. This is one of the most glorious vintages of the past twenty years. Rating: 96-98 La Revue du Vin de France (May 2023)
The grand vin is a blend of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Cabernet Franc, and it includes in this vintage three-quarters of the harvest from the vines of Les Grandes Murailles. It has a very sweet, fragrant and fresh nose, with blackcurrant, blackberry and black pepper, nuanced with violets, lavender and salted black bean. The palate picks up on these notes of dark and savoury fruits, but frames it in an even more perfumed construct, with verbena, red cherry, wild strawberry and liquorice, all supported by a rich construct of tannins, firm and tightly knit. A delicious style, with great energy and drive, leading to a finish that comes loaded with tannin. Primary, perfumed and fragrant, this clearly has potential. Well done. Tasted twice. The alcohol is about 14.5%. Rating: 95-97 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (May 2023)
90% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc. Includes the 2 ha from Ch Les Grands Murailles integrated in the 2022 classification. Cask sample. Deep crimson hue. Expressive red-fruit and mineral nose. Generous fruit backed by plentiful but refined tannins. Remarkably smooth texture but firms up and lingers on the finish. Terroir evident. One for the cellar. (JL) Drinking range: 2030 - 2048 Rating: 18 James Lawther MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (May 2023)
This is broad and opulent with a full body and fine-grained, velvety tannins. Deep dark fruit, crushed violets and spices. Structured, layered and really long. Wow. So long and refined with great clarity. Rating: 97-98 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (May 2023)
Now incorporating the vineyards of the former Grand Murailles, the 2022 Clos Fourtet is lovely, wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums, rose petals, orange zest and exotic spices. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and seamless, it's deep and complete, with a layered core of vibrant fruit and a long, saline finish. This is another terrific wine from this 19-hectare vineyard situated on the limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion, just outside the village. It's a blend of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Rating: 94-96 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2023)
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.