Clos Fourtet

Clos Fourtet is a Premier Grand Cru Classé estate in Saint-Émilion, located adjacent to the medieval section of the town. The Merlot-dominant wine is prized for its combination of elegance with ripe berry fruit, and has long been a favorite of critics and a success at award shows.

The 20-hectare (50-acre) vineyard is planted mostly to Merlot, with 10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 5 percent Cabernet Franc on clay soils over limestone. The extensive cellars are underground, cut into the limestone bedrock, giving ideal conditions for maturation. Typically, the grand vin will see 18 months in French barriques with 60 percent new wood, and is bottled unfiltered. The second wine, La Closerie de Fourtet, is also predominantly Merlot and represents about a third of the house's production.

Clos Fourtet, known as Camp Fourtet or Camfourtet in the Middle Ages, was once a fort designed to protect the town of Saint-Émilion. The sturdy walls from that period still enclose the manor house of the estate, which was built in the 18th Century, around the time winemaking commenced on the property. During the 20th Century, the estate was owned by several of the famous wine families of the region, but was bought in 2001 by the Cuvelier family, who also own Château Poujeaux.