Vertikale Clos Manou 2015, 2016, 2018-2020

Clos Manou 2015

Parker: The 2015 Clos Manou is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc. It matured for 17 months, 60% in new French oak, 28% in one-year-old barrels from nine coopers and 12% in concrete eggs. Deep garnet-purple in color, it has good intensity of black cherries and black plums scents with hints of violets, licorice and fertile loam. The medium to full-bodied palate is rich with firm, grainy tannins—this is seriously impressive stuff with a long, perfumed finish. 90+/100

Clos Manou 2016

Parker: A terrific wine that would embarrass many classified growths, the 2016 Clos Manou wafts from the glass with aromas of dark berries, cassis, cigar wrapper, sweet spices, loamy soil and black truffle. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and multidimensional, it's concentrated, intensely flavored and beautifully balanced, with refined tannins, lively acids and a long, sapid finish. Classically Médocain in style, it is worth a special effort to seek out. 92+/100

Clos Manou 2018

Parker: From an 18-hectare estate planted at a density of around 10,000 vines per hectare, the 2019 Clos Manou is a serious wine. Unwinding in the glass with aromas of dark berry fruit, cigar wrapper, licorice and espresso roast, it's medium to full-bodied, deep and layered, with terrific concentration, lively acids and plenty of ripe, powdery tannin that will reward a bit of bottle age. It's closed with an Ardeaseal technical cork as used by Burgundy's Domaine Ponsot among others. This estate merits a mention in any list of Bordeaux's finest under-the-radar producers. 92+/100

Clos Manou 2020

Parker: The 2020 Clos Manou has turned out brilliantly. Unfurling in the glass with aromas of dark berries, plums, spices and licorice, it's medium to full-bodied, with a deep core of vibrant fruit framed by sweet, powdery tannins, concluding with a long, violet-inflected finish. Seamlessly constructed, it's a terrific example of haute couture winemaking that would embarrass numerous classified growths. 92/100