2016 Clos Manou

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.

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.

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.