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2016 CLOS MANOU Médoc, Lea & Sandeman

CLOS MANOU

2016 Médoc

Grapes Petit Verdot, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Merlot
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Médoc
ABV 14%

Stéphane Dief's excellent Médoc shows its class again. Deep dark colour and flavours, pure and straight, with volume on the palate and good depth. Juicy ripe velvety black fruit. Good shape and length and a feeling of mineral lift too. Drinking range: 2022 - 2035 Rating: 89-91 L&S (Apr 2017)


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The 2016 Clos Manou is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc; as a rough rule, the two Cabernets are vinified in wood, while the other two varieties see out their time in eggs and jarres (the globes are reserved for the old pre-phylloxera vines, and a separate cuvée). Once released from the bottle it displays a great colour, the dark and broad core quite opaque, encircled by a rich mulberry ring. Aromatically it is immediately savoury, just the sort of character I have found when tasting in Bordeaux and at the domaine last year, with notes of smoked blackcurrant, liquorice, black bean and black pepper. This translates into a rather velvety style on the palate, predictably dark and savoury, the lightly desiccated berry fruit here infused with dark chocolate and a richly extracted framework of dry and powdery tannins. It maintains this savoury substance and firm grip though into the cleanly defined finish. A dark, brooding, somewhat reticent and seriously structured wine this, one which demands more time in the cellar; hold another four or five years. The alcohol is declared as 13.5% on the label. 93/100Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Aug 2024)

A cult Médoc wine from Stéphane Dief, in a vintage that rarely disappoints. The thing I like best about Clos Manou is that it has concentration and polish but never loses its sense of heart, and this is a great example, limbering up at 5 years old, full of liqourice, espresso, blackcurrant and bilberry fruits, plenty of campfire smoke and spice from 70% new oak. Drinking range: 2021 - 2038 Rating: 94 Jane Anson, Decanter (Dec 2021)

The 2016 Clos Manou comes from complex limestone and sandy, gravelly soils in the northern part of the Médoc and is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, and the rest Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc brought up 70% new French oak. It’s another winner from this rock star of a vintage and offers classic cassis, graphite, spice, and cedar pencil aromas and flavors. Beautifully balanced, clean, elegant, and with good concentration, It’s a beauty to drink over the coming 15+ years. Drinking range: 2019 - 2034 Rating: 92 Jeb Dunnuck, www.jebdunnuck.com (Feb 2019)

Clos Manou

"We turned our garage into a makeshift wine cellar and made our first wine in 1998.” Françoise and Stéphane Dief. Which sounds impossibly idyllic! In a region of grand estates with long complicated histories the arrivistes of Clos Manou are a refreshing change. Starting with just .12ha of vines, the Diefs have patiently spent 15 years building their holding up to 18ha, along the way absorbing the obscure Cru Bourgeois of Château Cantegrive. The estate may be 'new' but amongst their holdings are Bordeaux’s oldest vines – they have a small pre-phylloxera parcel from the 1850’s. The estate is centred on the village of Saint-Christoly de Médoc in the increasingly popular area of the Haut-Médoc to the north of Saint Estèphe. All of Clos Manou’s vineyards are high-density plantings – some 10 000 vines per hectare – and all are converted to organic farming as soon as is practical. Grape variety proportions are 45% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with 6% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot. The first wine is aged in 100% new wood. The second wine is called Petit Manou.

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