- Clos Fourtet 2023 has been released at £840 per 12×75.
- ‘A real head-turner’, said Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, who awarded 95-97 points.
- Buyers looking for back-vintage opportunities might want to consider the 2015, 2019 and 2020.
As part of this year’s Bordeaux En Primeur campaign, Clos Fourtet 2023 has been released at €70 per bottle ex-négociant, down 25.5% on the 2022 release (€94 per bottle).
It is being offered by the international trade for £840 per 12×75, down 25.5% on the 2022’s opening price (£1,128 per 12×75).
Buyers looking for value among back vintages might consider the 2015, 2019 and 2020 vintages. See more pricing analysis below.
Critical response
William Kelley (The Wine Advocate) called the 2023 vintage of Clos Fourtet ‘especially suave and refined’, awarding a barrel score of 94-96 points.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW (The Wine Independent) scored the wine a barrel range of 95-97 points. She called the wine ‘a real head-turner’, describing ‘intense, vibrant red berry and baking spice flavors, supported by fine-grained tannins and jaw-dropping tension’.
According to James Lawther MW (Jancis Robinson), the wine is ‘aromatically complex and enticing, juicy and fresh with a marked chalky character’. He awarded a score of 17+/20.
Neal Martin (Vinous) called the wine ‘superb’ and gave a score of 92-94 points. He adds that the 2023 is ‘much more classically styled than the 2022, conveying tenderness and persistence’.
‘Clos Fourtet remains a benchmark example of wines from Saint- Émilion’s famed limestone plateau’, said Antonio Galloni (Vinous). He gave the 2023 a score of 94-96 points.
Jane Anson described notes of ‘fragrant white flowers, lime zest freshness, scraping pumice stone limestone feel, cassis and black cherry fruits, a whirl of peony and iris flowers’. She awarded the wine 95 points.
Pricing analysis
Today’s release, flat on the Market Price of the 93.5-point 2017 vintage, may present reasonable value to buyers. There are, however, similarly priced alternatives in physical back vintages.
Neal Martin’s highest scoring vintage of the past decade, the 97-point 2015, is available at a 3.6% premium to today’s release. From a proven vintage and benefitting from extra time in bottle, it may present reasonable value to buyers. With a Market Price of £870, it has increased in value by 21.7% since its original release price of £715.
Fans of Jane Anson may opt for the 2019 vintage. Receiving 98 points from the critic, it is available at an 8.3% discount to today’s release.
The 95-point 2020 is available at a Market Price of £861 and may also be of interest to buyers.
Use our ready-made list to easily spot opportunities in back-vintages of Clos Fourtet and other Right-Bank wines.
Our Bordeaux En Primeur 2023 page contains everything you need to know about this year’s campaign. You can also sign up for our daily En Primeur email alerts using the form below.
Liv-ex analysis is drawn from the world’s most comprehensive database of fine wine prices. The data reflects the real time activity of Liv-ex’s 620+ merchant members from across the globe. Together they represent the largest pool of liquidity in the world – currently £100m of bids and offers across 20,000 wines.
