La Closerie de Fourtet 2023

Finely spicy, peppery, herbal, red fruit; velvety on the palate, you want to swallow right away, the fruit is crisp, and the powdery tannins provide drive and length. An excellent Saint-Émilion for little money.

Ripe and sweet damsons on the nose, dark fruit and some floral hints – quite an expressive nose. Supple and agile, with nice energy and lovely succulence of cool blue fruit with some ripe red cherries. Really juicy but not lean or too high in acidity. Easy to enjoy. Lifted, fresh, no rough edges. No harshness; everything is balanced and harmonious. A light but enjoyable glass. 15% of the massal-selection Cabernet Franc went into this blend, with some grapes from the limestone plateau making their wine into this second wine for the first time. Ageing: 20% new oak, then one- and two-year barrels.

Licorice, flower, and cherries fill the wine in the nose, and on the medium-bodied, forward, fresh, and sweet, palate making this simply delicious on release. The wine was made from blending 85% Merlot, with 15% Cabernet Franc. The wine comes from a parcel selection. Drink from 2026-2032.

Score: 89–91. A deep, unusual nose of juicy black fruits and licorice. On the palate, the wine feels very zen and balanced, with lovely fluidity and good length.

A delicious Closerie, with some of the vines from Les Grandes Murailles now included. Combines momentum and sappy fruit with mint leaf, slate and campfire smoke, fresh acidities. 15% new oak, 2% amphora.

A friendly red, showing a mix of black cherry and red currant fruit that melds with gently warmed anise and singed cedar notes. Approachable, with a hint of grain through the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2031. 3,333 cases made, 200 cases imported.

Bright, youthful red colour. The bouquet is of medium intensity, fruity and rather discreet, giving no hint of the surprisingly smooth palate that follows. Very aromatic on the mid-palate, with a silky texture, the wine finishes sappy after a lovely progression.