Clos Fontaine

Clos Fontaine

I have kept an eye on this vineyard for much of the past decade. It showed promise, but hitherto not quite the level of quality that would make it irresistible. With the 2016 vintage however, a firm commitment was made to select only the best grapes from their three hectares and make something special. The result is just 4000 bottles of a delicious wine that encapsulates all that is good about this excellent vintage, thus offering us high quality at a price that offers quite exceptional value for money. I cannot think of any other Bordeaux wine of comparable excellence that is available at such a modest price. It will be packed in individual wooden cases of 6 bottles, an attractive gift indeed for any claret lover. It should drink very well from 2020. For any who may be unfamiliar with the Cotes de Francs, it sits on the northwest fringe of the Bordeaux Right Bank vineyard area, a satellite of St Emilion really, and in the past its wines were indeed often sold under that name. Blessed with suitable clay/limestone soils, it also benefits from an extra bit of altitude that could well prove to be a serious advantage if the current trend in global warming continues, for winegrowers in many parts of the planet are busy searching for cooler sites in order to achieve fresher wines with lower alcohol. In Oz Clarke’s words, when writing about the Cotes de Francs, he states that ‘Their wines are now showing wonderful fruit and character, and sometimes outshine many of the famous St Emilions just a mile or two to the west.’ This Clos Fontaine is a perfect example of just that.