The Kind of Wine We Love to Drink

Stéphane and Françoise Dief like to say they make “ the kind of wine we love to drink — carefully crafted down to the finest detail, a very precise wine we know you’d love to drink too .” It’s a simple philosophy, but one that explains why Clos Manou, though firmly rooted in Bordeaux, feels so at home in our Burgundy-centric portfolio.

It’s an important distinction because historically, we’ve been told that Bordeaux and Burgundy are diametrically opposed in virtually every way. Burgundy has always been the land of the paysan, focused on terroir and nuance; Bordeaux, the world of grand châteaux, defined by power, precision, and polish. But the best finds never mimic traditional stereotypes, and those are the wines we love. Small in scale, exacting in detail, and deeply personal in its connection to place. Like Château Lafleur and Tertre Roteboeuf, Clos Manou is exactly that kind of Bordeaux.

The Diefs founded Clos Manou in 1998 with a 0.12-hectare plot in the quiet village of Saint-Christoly — 15 km north of Saint-Estèphe, “out where the buses don’t run.” From those two original barriques, they’ve grown to a patchwork of 18.5 hectares spread across three classic Médoc terroirs: sand and clay-limestone for Merlot, and gravel for Cabernet Sauvignon.

Everything at Clos Manou is farmed organically and tended by hand with meticulous care. The vineyards and winery are maintained in pristine condition, a level of attention rarely seen even at the most prestigious châteaux. Harvest is done parcel by parcel and vinification is gentle and precise across more than thirty small vats. Cabernet Sauvignon sees partial new oak, while Merlot matures in concrete. Extraction is restrained, and oak is used with subtlety. The result, as William Kelley notes, is “exigent viticulture and thoughtful, precise, artisanal winemaking” — consistently brilliant wines that deserve far wider recognition.

The wines of Clos Manou represent the potential for a new style of Bordeaux—handcrafted with meticulous care and organic farming, offering exceptional quality with genuine approachability.