Andrew Jefford | Dense, dark, midnight black-purple out to scarlet-purple at the rim. Warm, fresh, subtle, and understated aromatically: black-plum fruits with fine leather and a lush creaminess. Very classy and very rewarding aromas which, despite their rich amplitude, still do justice to the vigor, freshness and lift of the vintage. Super aromatic work here. Ample and full but ultra-soft and delicate on the palate, this is a remarkable 2016 St-Emilion of creamy depths yet bright freshness and poise. The fruits are very complex—plum, damson, and mulberry, but they also seem to hint at spice, earth, and autumn leaf without ever leaving their fruitiness behind. Ample tannins— yet tissue soft and refined; and the wine has long, sustaining acidity, too, which is what most drinkers will notice more readily than the tannins. An outstanding Clos Fourtet. | 94

Michael Schuster | A fine, oak-cedar touched nose; rich and powerful and finely, firmly tannic; deep, sweetly ripe, tasty wine, refined behind the alcohol power, long and fragrantly aromatic, both tenacious to taste, and long to finish, but a long-term prospect for sure. 2030–50+. | 93