2015 Clos Manou
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Clos Manou is sumptuous, racy wine to drink now and over the next few years. Black cherry, bittersweet chocolate, new leather and spice infuse this succulent, racy wine, which is better from bottle than it was from barrel.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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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.
Clos Manou is in the Northern Médoc and consists of 18 hectares of gravely/limestone soils and high-density plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The second wine of the estate is called the Petit Manon (not tasted here). Described as a “Mini-Mouton” by American merchant Jeffrey Davies, the flagship 2015 Clos Manou is a Cabernet Sauvignon dominated cuvee that includes 23% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot and 1% Cabernet Franc, all of which was harvest between October 6-13. This pretty, elegant, nicely concentrated 2015 gives up lots of blackcurrant and black cherry fruit, notes of pine resin, dark chocolate and graphite, medium to full-bodied richness, and building tannin on the palate. It needs 3-4 years of cellaring and will shine for a decade.
About the producer
Clos Manou is one of Bordeaux’s most under-rated addresses. The tiny estate is in the northern reaches of the Médoc, but produces wine that puts some Classed Growths to shame.