2020 Château de Fonbel Saint Emilion Grand Cru

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.