2018 CLOS MANOU Médoc, Lea & Sandeman

CLOS MANOU

2023 Médoc

Grapes Merlot, Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, Cab Sauv
Colour Red
Origin France, Bordeaux
Sub-district Médoc
ABV 13%

Yet again Stephane Dief has knocked it out of the park this year. This jewel of a property with its wealth of very old vines has created a masterful 2023. Chiselled and poised - this is upright, pretty and sophisticated. The fruit concentration is pitch perfect here - with that gentle soft ripeness in tune with the freshness of the year. Beautifully judged and this year with just 35% new oak and a proportion of the juice aged in amphorae the purity is wonderful. Very serious Bordeaux from this (still!) under the radar producer we have been championing for more than a decade. 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot L&S (Apr 2024)


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The 2023 Clos Manou has a clean and precise nose of earthy black fruit, with touches of freshly rolled tobacco following through with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied and finely proportioned, with gentle grip and a keen line of acidity. There is a build in the mouth absent in many of its peers, as well as unquestionably greater persistency. Excellent. Drinking range: 2027 - 2040 Rating: 92-94 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2024)

This stands out from the first nose, has sinewy tannins, textured bilberry and blackberry fruits, savoury liqourice and tobacco, slate tannins and a juicy finish. Accomplished and confident, one to look out for. Stephane Dief owner, 35% new oak for ageing, plus 6% amphora. Drinking range: 2027 - 2037 Rating: 93 Jane Anson, www.janeanson.com (May 2024)

This northern Médoc estate has over-performed once again with the 2023 Clos Manou, an impressive effort redolent of cassis, dark berries, pencil shavings and violets. Medium to full-bodied, layered and velvety, with a lively core of concentrated fruit framed by supple, elegantly chalky tannins, this is a classy, ambitious wine that could embarrass many grand châteaux in a blind tasting. It's a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot and 8% Petit Verdot that attained 13.2% alcohol. Rating: 91-93 William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Apr 2024)

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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