What a treat to meet Matthieu Cuvelier, director of the gorgeous Clos Fourtet which his Paris-based family bought several decades ago.
Warm and gregarious, M. Cuvelier greeted us and showed us around the property, just a two minute walk from the center of St Emilion.
The estate existed from the Middle Ages, first as a military fort and then as a winery before it was purchased by the Cuvelier family in 2001. The Cuvelier family also owns Chateau Poujeaux in Moulis in the Haut Medoc.
I had tasted the delicious 2016 vintage during the En Primeur tasting and it got excellent scores, so I was excited to see the property. Though the chateau was quite elegant – as expected – what really excited me was the ancient caves carved out of limestone below. As I suspected, Matthieu’s young family enjoys playing here during weekend visits.
The vines are planted to 85% Merlot,10% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and are sustainable with a bent toward being bio-dynamic.
The wine is aged for 18 months in 60% – 80% new French oak barrels. Towards the end of our visit, we tasted the Grand Vin as well as the second wine, Closerie de Fourtet. The wines are very rich and flavorful, with incredible concentration of fruit and complexity.
It was a great visit and thanks very much to Matthieu Cuvelier and the Union Des Grand Crus for the visit.
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