Of the Estate, Parker says: "...The wines have been plagued by a bland, dull, chunky, dry astringent fruitiness, and a curious habit of getting older without getting better. Certainly, the new style of Clos Fourtet, which commenced with the 1978 vintage, is a supple, overtly fruity, less tannic and easier wine to comprehend and enjoy. However, there are hundreds of Bordeaux chateaux that make wine such as this from far less prestigiously situated vineyards. Clos Fourtet needs a wake-up call.
Of the 88 he says: "The 1988 has not fared well in comparative tastings. The fruit has faded, and the tannins have become hard, lean and noticeably aggressive. In fact, I would argue that the 1988 is overburdened with tannins to the detriment of its concentration and fruit. Caveat emptor. Last tasted 4/91. 79 pts."
It's made of 70% merlot, 20% cab franc and 10% cab sauv.
Well, the tightly-wound three year old ugly duckling Parker describes has turned into a swan. Now it's a minor swan, and it wouldn't compete head to head with A Listers like Cheval Blanc, though I've not had any other St. Emilion from the 88 vintage, but owing to all the things that made it so unthrilling for the Bobster back when, it is now one very nice St. Emilion. And in fact, it will reward further cellaring.
Not decanted, the wine has a classic aged St. Emilion nose but was a bit unbalanced toward acidity on the palate. Food helped see through that, but the wine seemed to get younger in the glass, and it wasn't until the last pour two hours later that the fruit emerged and the wine became harmonious with soft berry fruit, tea leaves, and a tiny bit of graphite (unusual in a St. Em for me). No sediment whatsoever. I'm very happy to have another bottle, which I'll schedule for drinking in five years.
