2020 Château de Fonbel Saint Emilion Grand Cru

Type of Wine | Red |
---|---|
Country | France |
Region | |
Appellation | |
Winery | |
Vintage | 2020 |
Grape | |
Content (Alc) | 0.75 ltr (14%) |
Drink window | 2022 - 2036 |
Description
Located in the heart of the Saint-Emilion appellation, the domain of Château de Fonbel is owned by the Vauthier family, also owners of the prestigious Château Ausone. Beautiful (still affordable) Grandcru Saint Emilion. A very good St.-Emilion Grandcru with notes of cedar, roasted herbs, lavender, black cherries and spices. The wine was aged in oak for 20 months. Some southern Rhone-like aromatics can be found in this wine. However, on the palate the wine is a classic Bordeaux, with moderate tannins, medium bodied and good freshness and precision. Drink it for the next 15 years.
Specifications
Type of Wine | Red |
---|---|
Country | France |
Region | Bordeaux |
Appellation | Saint-Emillion |
Winery | Chateau de Fonbel |
Grape | Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Merlot, Petit Verdot |
Biological certified | No |
Natural wine | No |
Vegan | No |
Vintage | 2020 |
Drinking as of | 2022 |
Drinking till | 2036 |
Alcohol % | 14 |
Alcohol free/low | No |
Content | 0.75 ltr |
Oak aging | Yes |
Sparkling | No |
Dessert wine | No |
Closure | Cork |
Tasting Profiles | Earthy, Dry, Aged on wood, Mineral, Red fruit |
Drink moments | Cadeau!, Indruk maken, Met vrienden, Open haard, Romantisch |
Wijnhuis
Owned by the Vauthier family since 1971, Château de Fonbel has received special attention, because its vineyard is a test-bed for Château Ausone and its second wine, Chapelle d’Ausone.
Diversity of Cepage
Lovers of their job as winegrowers, Alain Vauthier and his daughter Pauline apply exacting high standards and technical know-how to this estate located on the Saint-Émilion plain. Not far south of the village, Château de Fonbel covers 16 hectares where the Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère – that old Bordeaux grape variety – and Petit Verdot find their chosen land on sandy-clay, gravel or simply sandy soils. The wine here is produced with great precision, both in the vineyard and in the cellar.
An elegant and subtle Wine
Depending on the vintage, part of the wine is vinified in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks and then goes into barrel to give lightness, elegance and flavour. The Château de Fonbel blend always contains around 85% Merlot, complemented by the other grape varieties, allowing a wide range of blending possibilities. Challengers by nature, and benefiting from certain innovations before their illustrious neighbours, the estate’s wines express their fruit, elegance and subtlety with well-integrated tannins that make them easy to drink in their youth.
The good balance and freshness - which the wine has drawn from the soil - also give it great ageing potential. It is tempered by the touch of Carmenère, reflected in spicy or liquorice notes.