The origins of Clos Fourtet in antiquity may well coincide with the cultivation of vines by the Romans, a practice they had already become accustomed to within the Provincia Romana in the 1st century CE. While this cannot be known for certain, we do know that Emperor Probus (3rd century AD) -- who in 92 lifted the edict declared by Emperor Domitian (to uproot all vines with a ban on replanting them) -- allowed the region to start growing vines again, and also allowed Clos Fourtet, together with many other Roman villas, to own acres of vineyards. The reputation of this vineyard, whose special feature is that it is classified as a closed vineyard (based on the principle of wine-growing estates in the Burgundy region which are surrounded by walls or clos), was built very quickly on account of the geographical location of its 18.70 undivided hectares of parcels: the closed vineyard is perched at the top of the famous limestone plateau at the foot of the celebrated walled city. The men of this estate have successively inherited a terroir of exceptional quality. The land carefully nourishes the grapes, which draw their vitality and ripeness from soil with a thin layer of clay and limestone bedding (the estate is built on impressive ancient quarries which now serve as an ideal storage area), offering the best conditions for harvesting perfectly ripened grapes. Each of the vineyard's owners (the Rulleaus, Carles, Lurtons, etc.) right through to the Cuvelier family who bought it in 2001, have consistently found the estate to provide the perfect conditions for producing Merlots, recognisable on account of their harmony, precise flavours, freshness and balance. Philippe and Matthieu Cuvelier (father and son) continue to uphold the terroir's reputation based on precisely these characteristics, producing wines ranked first among the top 13) in the Saint-Emilion wine classification.