Wine Advisor
Fombrauge 2015
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2015 Fombrauge is a blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc that was cropped at 45 hl/ha between 24 September and 15 October. It is matured in 45% new oak barrels, 45% one-year-old and 10% in cement tank. It has a rich and generous bouquet with layers of black cherry, iodine and a hint of licorice. There is a slight headiness to these aromatics. The palate is showing more restrain and finesse, clean and pure with lightly spiced red berry fruit, hints of licorice and white pepper, a subtle bay leaf note towards the finish that displays well-integrated oak. Give this 5-8 years once in bottle and you will have a fine Saint Emilion on your hands.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2015 Fombrauge is a blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. I appreciated this Saint-Émilion in barrel and now in bottle it continues to impress: voluptuous black cherries intermix with crème de cassis and violets on the nose. It almost flirts with jamminess but it stops short and retains freshness. The palate is medium-bodied with plump ripe tannin, caressing in texture with black cherries, black plum, cassis and a touch of white pepper. It feels long in the mouth and conveys a sense of approachability, a wine to enjoy over the next decade.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
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.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2015 Fombrauge is very pretty. Succulent red cherry, mint and rose petal give the wine an attractive upper register and a good deal of freshness to balance the overt fruit. Powerful and rich, the 2015 has quite a bit to offer. Raspberry jam, mocha, espresso, rose petal and spice add the closing shades of nuance. Readers should expect a fairly bold style - as is the case with all of Bernard Magrez's wines - but Fombrauge is not quite as opulent as Magrez-Fombrauge. The blend is 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Tasted three times.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2015 Fombrauge is a dark, voluptuous beauty, a terrific example of modern Saint-Émilion as conceived by Bernard Magrez and Michel Rolland. Black cherry, plum, bittersweet chocolate, spice and new leather open first, before beams of tannin reveal the wine's underlying structure. Dense and powerful, but with good freshness, the 2015 Fombrauge is a winner. The blend is 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Tasted four times.
About the Producer
Chateau Fombrauge is located in the Saint-Emilion appellation on the right bank of Bordeaux, France, and was awarded the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru in 2012. The word "Fombrauge" is derived from the word "fons brogiera", which means "a spring surrounded by bushes and briars". The first written records of Château Fombrauge date from about six centuries ago, when Jacques de Canolle, a young French nobleman, acquired the land in 1466, and in 1575 the property passed into the hands of Peter Canolle, Jacques' grandson. At the end of the 17th century, Château Fombrauge became the property of the Dumas family by marriage. In the mid-18th century, the family introduced a series of advanced winemaking techniques at Château Fombrault - selection of grape varieties, pruning of vines and vinification of plots, etc. - with great success. When the French Revolution broke out, the owner, Jacques Dumas, was guillotined in 1794. Château Fombrauge became a national property until 1808, when it reverted to the Dumas family. The estate was then sold to Ferdinand de Taffard. In 1987, Château Fombraux was bought by a Danish wine merchant, and most of its wines were sold to the Scandinavian market, where they were gradually forgotten. In 1999, Bernard Magrez bought the estate and has been running it ever since. In September 2012, Château Fombrauge was officially selected as a Grand Cru in Saint-Emilion. The vineyards of Château Fombrault cover 58.6 hectares of calcareous clay, limestone and sandstone soils, with a variety of soil types and orientations that make the wines complex and individual. The winery actively embraces new technologies while adhering to traditional concepts, introducing advanced drones to assist in vineyard management. The grapes are harvested by hand after ripening and stored in fine crates to prevent breakage and oxidation. In terms of winemaking, Château Fombraux still adheres to the traditional philosophy. The grapes are carefully selected before and after destemming, and are then fermented in wooden vats, concrete tanks, stainless steel tanks and clay pots. During the fermentation process, the vines are manually capped to extract the tannins and flavors. With the cooperation of the "flying winemaker" Michelle Rolland and the professional winemaking team, Château Fombrauge continues to offer its wine lovers the best quality wines from the excellent terroir of Saint-Emilion. The main wine is the Chateau Fombrauge (Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classe, France), a wine with aromas and complexity, aromas of red fruits, blackcurrants and cherries, a smooth and rounded palate, and an elegant and fresh finish that is very attractive. In addition, the winery also offers the Chateau Magrez Fombrauge (Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France), the Prelude de Fombrauge (Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France) The wines are Magrez Fombrauge Blanc (Bordeaux, France), Prelude de Fombrauge (Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, France) and Magrez Fombrauge Blanc (Bordeaux, France).
