Clos Fourtet - Saint-Emilion Grand Cru 2012

Vinous

95 / 100

par Antonio Galloni le 31/12/2015

The 2012 Clos Fourtet is deep, fleshy and quite seductive. Sweet red cherry, plum, dried flowers, sage and rosemary flesh out in a pretty, gracious Clos Fourtet that offers lovely balance to match its mid-weight, restrained personality. This is a lovely showing, and a wine that should drink well with minimal cellaring. The 2012 preserves lovely freshness, but it should also drink well with minimal cellaring. There is plenty to admire, that much is sure. The 2012 is 86% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc that spent 18 months in French oak, 60% new.

Wine Advocate

95 / 100

par Robert Parker le 30/04/2015

Having just had the 2003 and 2005 from my cellar, I can attest to the magnificent turnaround in quality this famous estate on the eastern side of St.-Emilion has achieved. All of it is attributable to its dynamic proprietor, Philippe Cuvelier. The 2012 Clos Fourtet (usually 85% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc) has beautiful blackberry and blueberry fruit and an inky purple color. With flawless integration of acidity, tannin, wood and alcohol, a full-bodied mouthfeel and stunning richness, this is impressive and certainly one of the vintage's top wines. It should evolve beautifully for 15-20 years, and be drinkable in 3-4. Yields were a modest 32 hectoliters per hectare with the alcohol at 14%.

Jamessuckling.com

92 / 100

par James Suckling le 15/02/2015

A silky and shy red with blueberry and bramble berry character. Full body, fine tannins and a fresh finish. It grows on the palate. Lovely tannin texture. Better in 2016.

Wine Spectator

94 / 100

par James Molesworth le 10/02/2015

Gorgeous, with a pure, unadorned violet aroma giving way to very ripe and stylish plum, boysenberry and blackberry fruit. Offers a suave mouthfeel, with anise and tobacco hints filling the background. A finely stitched chalk note extends the finish. Not shy on depth, and sneakily long. Best from 2017 through 2030. 3,500 cases made. –JM

Jancis Robinson

16,5 / 20

le 23/10/2014

Dark purple. Fresh in a Cab Franc sort of way on the nose. Ripe and with the merest suggestion of flowers and leather. But not a caricature. Should please many for it is definitely flattering. 2018-2025

timatkin.com

95 / 100

par Tim Atkin MW le 30/06/2013

This château’s high (for St Emilion) percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon is usually a boon in warmer years, but it doesn’t seem to have done the wine any harm in cooler 2012 either. Rich, sensuous and profound, this is very well balanced by acidity, minerality and freshness, reflecting its clay and limestone terroir. One of the three best wines of the appellation in 2012. Drink: 2020-40

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

90-92 / 100

par Ian D'Agata le 30/06/2013

Ruby-red.  Expressive aromas of raspberry, dark chocolate and sexy oak.  Lush on entry, then rich, vinous and deep, displaying very good balance and rich dark fruit and herb flavors.  Finishes with serious but even tannins and very good persistence.  This brooding wine has real potential in the context of a tough vintage.

Le Point

16-16,5 / 20

par Jacques Dupont le 16/05/2013

Nez fruits noirs, assez boisé, bouche souple et tendre, tannique en finale, elle aussi très fruits noirs. Jolis tanins soyeux, dense, bonne longueur. O= 2017 G= 12 ans

Wine Advocate

91-93 / 100

par Neal Martin le 06/05/2013

The Clos Fourtet has a far more restrained bouquet than exhibited in recent vintages, with well defined black cherries, fresh strawberry and a touch of cracked black pepper. The oak is very well integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with fresh blackberry and fresh raspberry fruit. It is missing a little depth on the mid-palate, but I appreciate the linearity and focus on the finish. Very fine. Tasted April 2013.

Wine Spectator

91-94 / 100

par James Molesworth le 30/04/2013

Juicy and open, with a bright mix of strawberry, pomegranate and cherry fruit laced with a pleasantly firm structure. Shows more flesh and dark fruit with aeration, releasing a pleasant graphite note and hinting at buried perfume. Should be solid with some aging. —J.M.

matthewjukes.com

17 / 20

par Matthew Jukes le 30/04/2013

Jean-Marc QUARIN

17 / 20

par Jean-Marc Quarin le 29/04/2013

Couleur intense et vive. Nez fin et parfumé. Raffiné dès l'entrée en bouche, aromatique au milieu, fondant, suave, ce vin délicieux avance avec beaucoup de goût, du corps vers une finale séveuse au tanin fin. De la délicatesse, du parfum. Un succès.

My Bettane + Desseauve

17-17,5 / 20

le 26/04/2013

Prise de bois lactée, texture remarquablement complète, grande suite en bouche, grande réussite.

Jancis Robinson

15,5 / 20

par Julia Harding MW le 26/04/2013

Drink 2017-2024
Inky with purple rim. Rich, ripe and spicy. More damson than cassis but fresh. Chewy, some oak char, fruit not as rich on the palate as on the nose so finishes a touch too dry/stringy. (JH)

Wine Advocate

93-95 / 100

par Robert Parker le 26/04/2013

The 2012 Clos Fourtet was cropped at 32 hectoliters per hectare and achieved 14% natural alcohol. The final blend was 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc. It offers an opaque dense purple color along with attractive blackberry, licorice, truffle and cassis fruit notes. It is full-bodied and dense with an authoritative mid-palate, sweet tannin and a layered mouthfeel that builds incrementally into a stunningly long finish. Precocious and charming already, it will drink better at an earlier age than the massive, prodigious 2009. Drink this killer St.-Emilion over the next 15+ years.

One can’t say enough about proprietor Cuvelier’s 50-acre vineyard that has witnessed a profound transformation of quality over the last decade or more. Moreover, Cuvelier recently purchased three neighboring estates that are consistently reviewed positively in this publication, Les Grandes Murailles, Clos St.-Martin and Cote Baleau. These were previously owned by Sophie Fourcade. Interestingly, since these three properties are adjacent or close to Clos Fourtet, I would not be surprised if over the next decade they become incorporated into Clos Fourtet. Another great success for Cuvelier and his estate manager, Tony Ballu.
Drink: 2013 - 2028

The Wine Cellar Insider

92-94 / 100

par Jeff Leve le 26/04/2013

With 86% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc, the wine reached 14% alcohol with a pH of 3.7. The wine will be aged in 60%, new French oak barrels for 18 months. Deep in color with floral, licorice, dark red berries and earth in the nose, the wine is rich, lush and deep with soft tannins. The wine ends with sweet licorice and chocolate-covered berries. To produce the wine in this difficult vintage, Chateau Clos Fourtet performed 3 green harvests during the growing season. 92-94 Pts

Decanter.com

17,5 / 20

le 22/04/2013

Expressive red and dark fruit nose. Palate plush, ripe and harmonious. Fresh and long on the finish. Fine grained tannins. Gets the nod over 2011. 17.5/20pts ( 91/100pts)
Drink: 2019 - 2030
Taster: James Lawther MW

Jamessuckling.com

92-93 / 100

par James Suckling le 04/04/2013

This is a wine with layers of fruit and firm yet polished tannins. Full body, juicy and rich. It shows outstanding depth for the vintage.