Clos Fourtet St-Emilion 2019

98 points Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux): "(90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc). 20ha of prime St Emilion limestone, punching at the very top of its game. This is muscular, less exuberant than the exceptional 2018 but this is still easily one of the wines of the vintage, salinity and austerity but creamy in texture, with pure, well chiselled blueberry, blackberry and raspberry fruits with peony flowers on the finish. Biodynamic farming, but not certified. 38hl/h yield. 50% new oak, 2% amphoras. Alcohol 14.5%. Drink: 2026-2044. (12/6/21)"

98 points Jeff Leve (The Wine Cellar Insider): "Even better in the bottle after its aging period, the wine explodes with flowers, black cherries, plums, mint, espresso, cocoa, licorice and crushed rocks. The wine is full-bodied, opulent, rich, silky, fresh and long. The palate is coated with layers of dark red pit fruits with that elusive touch of salt, silky tannins and purity in the fruits that radiate from the mid-palate continuing all the way through to the long, velvety, harmonious finish. Give this at least a few years in the cellar and it should offer pleasure for the following 3 decades with ease. Drink from 2025-2055. (Mar 2022)"

97+ points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2019 Château Clos Fourtet is another gem from the Right Bank that delivers the goods. From the upper, limestone plateau and always a bigger, richer wine than its neighbors (Canon, Beau-Séjour Bécot), it still shows incredible minerality and limestone character in its deep black cherry, currant, and mulberry fruits as well as scorched earth, chalky minerality, roasted herb, licorice, and white flower-like aromas and flavors. Rich, full-bodied, concentrated, and structured on the palate, it's flawlessly balanced, has ripe, broad, building tannins, an expansive mouthfeel, and a great, great finish. It needs a decade of bottle age, but it’s truly brilliant stuff. Drink: 2032+. (4/11/22)"

97 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2019 Clos Fourtet is positively stellar, just as it was from barrel. It presents a beguiling mix of dense, plush fruit packed into a classically structure frame. The first impression is one of opulence, until the minerality of Saint-Émilion's famed plateau begins to emerge. Black cherry, plum, leather, exotic spice, licorice and blood orange build into the statuesque, explosive finish. The 2019 is a magnificent effort from the Cuvelier family and long time consulting winemaker Stephane Derenoncourt. Drink: 2029-2059. (Jan 2022)"

97 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "The 2019 Clos Fourtet is a blend of 90% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it charges out of the gate with energetic scents of crushed blackberries, juicy black plums, and black raspberries, plus suggestions of cedar, pencil shavings, and chocolate box. The full-bodied palate is taut and tightly wound with loads of black fruit and mineral layers supported by firm, grainy tannins, finishing with a spicy lift. Alcohol 14.5%. Drink: 2025-2045. (5/1/23)"

96+ points William Kelley (Wine Advocate): "Attractive aromas of wild berries, pencil shavings, vine smoke, black truffle and violets introduce the 2019 Clos Fourtet, a medium to full-bodied, deep and seamless wine with a concentrated core of fruit, beautifully refined tannins and lively acids, concluding with a long, saline finish. Elegant and complete, this is a brilliant wine from this 19-hectare vineyard situated on the limestone plateau of Saint-Émilion, just outside the village, which has been on a qualitative roll since the 2001 vintage. Drink: 2025-2060. (Apr 2022)"

96 points Panos Kakaviatos (Decanter): "Compared to the 2018, this vintage displays a cooler aspect to go with the ripe red and black fruit: more tobacco leaf than glycerine. Even if the alcohol and pH are similar, this vintage was aged in less new oak, and was the first to include some amphorae. The tannins are noticeable at this very early stage, even slightly more aggressive than those of the 2018. But when they settle down, the 2019 will overtake the 2018, at least because of slightly better balance. 3.6pH. Drinking Window: 2030-2075. (4/19/23)"

96 points James Suckling: "Lots of purple fruit with white pepper and crushed stones in the nose. It’s full-bodied, yet tight and poised with a very chalky and salty undertone to the purple fruit. Flavorful finish. Linear and long. Try after 2026. (1/8/22)"

96 points Chris Kissack (Winedoctor): "A primary, scented, perfumed nose, sweet red cherry scented with violets, rosemary and lavender, touched with tobacco and sandalwood, as well as a little hint of dark chocolate. The texture on the palate is cohesive, composed, well-framed, seamless, with a fresh core of powdery tannins, which underline the palate with a tight grip, supporting a core of supple red cherry, leather and tobacco fruits, with floral peony and lavender notes, as well as tobacco and black bean. A very smartly composed wine, with less punch than 2018, but perhaps a little more elegance, grip and cohesion, with dominant and tightly knit tannins giving a powdery grip to the finish. Hold, as this one has decades in it. Tasted twice, in December and April. (Apr 2023)"