2020 Clos Fourtet

Tasted blind. Deep crimson. Dark and slightly charry on the nose. Firm, charry and dark on the palate but the tannins are very fine and there’s freshness to balance all that pure dark fruit. Needs a lot of time. (JH)

The 2020 Clos Fourtet has a very well-defined bouquet with a mixture of red and black fruit, melted dark chocolate and a touch of mocha. The palate is medium-bodied with a sapid entry and fine balance. It's a little more muscular than its peers, with a very structured finish. More backward than expected (hence the lower score in this blind tasting), this needs four or five years before it entertains drinkability. Tasted blind at the annual Southwold tasting.

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.