Clos Fourtet, previously Château Clos Fourtet and archaically Camfourtet, is a

Bordeaux wine Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the ...

from the

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

Saint-Émilion Saint-Émilion (; Gascon: ''Sent Milion'') is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. In 2016, it had a population of 1,938. In the heart of the country of ''Libournais'' (the area around Libourne), in ...

, ranked ''Premier grand cru classé B'' in the

Classification of Saint-Émilion wine In 1955, the wines of Saint-Émilion in the wine-growing region of Bordeaux were classified. Unlike the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855 covering wines from the Médoc and Graves regions, the Saint-Émilion list is updated every 10 y ...

. The Clos Fourtet

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...

is located in the Right Bank of France's

Bordeaux wine region The wine regions of Bordeaux are a large number of wine growing areas, differing widely in size and sometimes overlapping, which lie within the overarching wine region of Bordeaux, centred on the city of Bordeaux and covering the whole area of the ...

in the commune of Saint-Émilion, in the department

Gironde Gironde ( US usually, , ; oc, Gironda, ) is the largest department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of Southwestern France. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,62 ...

. The estate also produces the

second wine Second wine or second label ( French: ''Second vin'') is a term commonly associated with Bordeaux wine to refer to a second label wine made from '' cuvee'' not selected for use in the ''Grand vin'' or first label. In some cases a third wine or e ...

Closerie de Fourtet.

History

Erected during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

as a defensive fort, the property is situated opposite the main entrance to the old town of Saint-Émilion.

Viticulture Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

at what was then called ''Camfourtet'' (''Camp Fourtet'') began with the efforts of Léon Rulleau in the mid-18th century, who passed on the estate to his nephew Elie Rulleau who had the present château built. Records show that in 1789 the property was valued at 100,000 ''

livres The (; ; abbreviation: ₶.) was one of numerous currencies used in medieval France, and a unit of account (i.e., a monetary unit used in accounting) used in Early Modern France. The 1262 monetary reform established the as 20 , or 80.88 gr ...

''. The estate's name was altered to Clos Fourtet by the Rulleau family in 1868. Fernand Ginestet acquired the estate in 1919, in the same year that he purchased the

Pomerol Pomerol (; oc, Pomairòus) is a Communes of France, commune in the Gironde Departments of France, department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine near Bordeaux in southwestern France. Wine With only . Pomerol is the smallest wine producing area in the Bordea ...

estate Château Petit-Village. In 1949 it was then sold by his son Pierre Ginestet in order to finance control of

Château Margaux Château Margaux (), archaically La Mothe de Margaux, is a wine estate of Bordeaux wine, and was one of four wines to achieve ''Premier cru'' (first growth) status in the Bordeaux Classification of 1855. The estate's best wines are very expens ...

, and purchased by François Lurton. The Lurton family sold Clos Fourtet in 2001, reportedly for the sum of US$66.8 million. Currently the estate is owned by Philippe Cuvelier, also owner of

Château Poujeaux Château Poujeaux lies in the wine-producing district of Moulis-en-Médoc in the Bordeaux region of France. It is one of the most highly regarded wines within Moulis, alongside Château Chasse-Spleen. In the 2003 classification of ''Cru Bourgeois' ...

, with the

oenologist Oenology (also enology; ) is the science and study of wine and winemaking. Oenology is distinct from viticulture, which is the science of the growing, cultivation, and harvesting of grapes. The English word oenology derives from the Greek word ' ...

Stéphane Derenoncourt Stéphane Derenoncourt is a French ''vigneron'' working as a consultant for numerous estates in Bordeaux and other wine producers worldwide. With his wife, Christine Derenoncourt, he runs Vignerons Consultants and owns Domaine de l'A in the Côt ...

as consultant.

Production

The vineyard area extends to 19 hectares, with the grape varieties split between 85%

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

, 10%

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

and 5%

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...

. 5,000 cases of the ''Grand vin'' Clos Fourtet are produced annually, while 2,500 cases of the second wine Closerie de Fourtet are usually produced.

References

External links

Clos Fourtet official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fourtet, Clos Bordeaux wine producers