Chateau Fombrauge 2015
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Wine - Decanter
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Ruby red, with luster and clarity. Expressive nose of regular complexity, primary notes of red fruits, blackcurrants and cherry. Appealing, supple and light. The palate is characteristic of its balance: acidity and almost total absence of tannins enhance the impression of roundness. Attractive, elegant and fresh finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Chocolate and ripe berry flavors give the wine a full, opulent character. It has some rich, sweet tannins that fill out the bountiful fruits. The wine is in a style that takes full advantage of the quality of the vintage. Barrel Sample: 93-95 Points
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James Suckling
A vivid and bright red with plum and spice plus hints of cedar and sandalwood. Medium to full body, silky tannins and a flavorful finish. The plush tannins to this give it weight and opulence. Needs a year or two to soften.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2015 Fombrauge offers up aromas of baked berries, dried mulberries and preserved plums with touches of Indian spices and game. Medium to full-bodied with loads of expressive fruit, it has firm, grainy tannins and finishes with a lively lift.
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Wine Spectator
This has ripe dark currant, fig and boysenberry confiture flavors forming a solid core, while singed alder, bramble and ganache notes emerge on the finish. Ambitiously styled, but needs to pull together. Barrel Sample: 89-92 Points
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Decanter
Dark fruit with a touch of creamy, toasted oak. Generous fruit on the palate with plentiful, ripe tannins. Dense but harmonious and approachable. Will undoubtedly please. Barrel Sample.
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One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.