Chateau Fonplegade 2020

Château Fonplégade Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux, France, 2020

Grapes: 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc, 19ha vineyard with 27 separate parcels on limestone/clay soils, 25 year average vine age, hand harvested, native yeast fermentation, matured in French oak barrels for 16-20 months (50% new, 30% one year, 10% concrete eggs, 10% amphoras)

Chateau Tasting Note:

Under the same ownership as Pomerol's Château L'Enclos. With an impeccable balance between fruit, complexity and aromatic length, this wine is characterized by a sophisticated minerality, consistent from year to year, with soft and supple tannins and a velvety texture. It is made from the estate's oldest vines, meticulously hand-farmed using organic and biodynamic practices to bring out the finest quality in each cluster. Predominantly Merlot, the blend includes just enough Cabernet Franc to imbue the wine with an elegant tannic structure. Today, oenologist Stéphane Derenoncourt is a consultant for the estate.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"Deep purple-black colored, the 2020 Fonplegade offers up notes of chocolate-covered cherries, mulberries and blackberry preserves, followed by hints of smoked meats, cinnamon toast and potpourri. The medium to full-bodied palate bursts with juicy black fruits, supported by velvety tannins and well-balanced acidity, finishing long and fragrant."

(93-95/100) points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, WINE ADVOCATE

"The showy nose wants your attention due to its essence of flowers, minerals, licorice, mint leaf, and red fruits. On the palate, the wine is silky, fresh, and vibrant. Concentrated, rich, yet elegant, and light on its feet, this is a refined wine with finesse, length, and purity which is not afraid to offer its oceanic influences along with all of its layers of perfectly ripe, red, and black fruits. This will age effortlessly for two decades or more, but you can also enjoy it in its youth, if you are like me, and can't wait to see what it's all about."

94/100 points, Jeff Leve, The Wine Cellar Insider, March 2023