Chateau Fonplegade Grand Vin De Bordeaux Grand Cru Classe Saint – Emilion Grand Cru 2016 (750ml)

 

Rated 96 Points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

 

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Fonplegade opens with a very savory nose of smoked meats, tapenade, sautéed herbs and beef drippings over a core of plum preserves, chocolate-covered cherries and cedar chest plus wafts of violets and cigars.  Medium to full-bodied, the palate possesses both intensity and elegance, with the black fruit layers superbly framed by firm, fine-grained tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing long and mineral laced.  Rating:  96+

 

Rated 95 Points by James Suckling

 

A very suave, modern-style St.-Emilion with fine blackberry aromas and some bitter chocolate.  Excellent balance of fruit, generous velvety tannins and lively acidity on the rich palate.  Long, clean and supple finish.  Drink or hold.

 

Rated 94 Points by Vinous

 

The 2016 Fonplégade is just as compelling as it was from barrel.  Silky and nuanced, the 2016 is super finessed from the very first impression.  Sweet red cherry, espresso, blood orange and spice all pulse through this racy, impeccably balanced Saint-Émilion, while floral overtones add energy.  Simply put, the 2016 is absolutely sublime.  Proprietors Stephen and Denise Adams, along with their team, have done a brilliant job with their 2016.  Tasted two times.

 

Rated 94 Points by Jeb Dunnuck

 

Matching the blockbuster 2015 in quality, the 2016 Château Fonplégade is a ripe, fleshy, sexy wine that's loaded with notions of jammy blackberry, cassis, dried earth, and spice.  With full-bodied richness, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a layered, fruit-forward style, it nevertheless has solid underlying structure and length, all promising a solid evolution.  I’d be happy to drink bottles any time over the coming two decades or more.

 

Rated 93 Points by Decanter

 

Just from the nose you can tell this is a brilliant wine.  You get smoky coffee notes that are balanced by freshness and a savoury edge to the juicy fruit.  The vineyard is mid-slope, with some touches of sand which often helps St-Emilion to taste a little juicier in the early years, but there's no doubting the quality and enjoyment here.  Organic winemaking.

 

Rated 92 Points by Wine Spectator

 

Delightfully fruit-filled, with warm, creamy layers of cassis, raspberry puree and plum reduction gliding through atop a velvety structure.  Anise and fruitcake notes take hold on the finish, adding range and extra detail.  A bit forward in style, but an echo of chalky minerality keeps this honest.  Drink now through 2033.

 

Rated 91 Points by Wine Enthusiast

 

This densely concentrated wine is dark and serious, with powerful tannins.  It has a bitter edge and black chocolate flavors along with dark plum-skin flavor.  The structure will stand this big wine in good stead as it ages.

 

Chateau Fonplegade

 

Grand Vin De Bordeaux

 

Grand Cru Classe

 

Saint – Emilion Grand Cru

 

2016

 

The purest expression of a complex terroir.

 

Château Fonplégade represents the purest and most typical expression of our terroir.  Enriched with a mosaic of ideal soils and a wonderful diversity of geology and geography, our vineyard is divided into 27 parcels on 45.5 acres.  These hand-farmed blocks comprise the artist's palette of our terroir, providing a wealth of flavor components for the development of our wines.

 

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.

 

Château Fonplégade is aged 16-20 months in 60% new French oak barrels, 30% in 1-year-old French oak barrels and 10% in egg-shaped concrete vessels.

 

Appellation:  Saint – Emilion, Grand Cru Classe

 

Terroir:  A Mosaic of Limestone & Clay

 

Tasting Notes

 

Colour:  Dark ruby coulour with deep purple

 

Nose:  Ample attack, fresh and silky.  Powerful and round tannins enhanced by a mineral final with salty notes.

 

Mouth:  Floral notes of violets enhanced by blueberry, strawberry, blackcurrant and fresh tobacco.

 

Proprietaires:  Denise & Stephen Adams

 

Wine Consutant:  Michel Rolland and Stéphane Derenoncourt

 

Biodynamic Consultant:  Corinne Comme

 

Winemaking Program:  French Oak & Concrete Vats

 

The Vineyard

 

Organic Certification:  Ecocert in 2016

 

Surface:  18.5 hectares (45 Acres)

 

Density of Planting:  7000 to 8500 vine plants/ha

 

Soils:  Plateau of limestone and downhill of clay and limestone

 

Neighborhood:  Chateaux Canon La Gaffelière, Angélus, Bélair-Monange and Canon

 

Average Age of Vines:  30 years old

 

Vinification & Aging

 

Harvest:  September, 27th to October, 17th, 2016

 

Vats:  Wooden tronconic tanks and microvinification barrels

 

Vatting Time:  35 Days

 

Ageing:  16 to 18 Months

 

Barrels:  60% New French Oak Barrels, 30% One Year Barrels and 10% Cement Eggs

 

Winemaker Notes

 

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.

 

Château Fonplégade is aged 16-20 months in 60% new French oak barrels, 30% in 1-year-old French oak barrels and 10% in egg-shaped concrete vessels.

 

Dark ruby coulor with deep purple.  Ample attack, fresh and silky on the nose.  Powerful and round tannins enhanced by a mineral final with salty notes.  Floral notes of violets enhanced by blueberry, strawberry, blackcurrant and fresh tobacco.

 

Blend:  90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc

 

 

Chateau Fonplegade

 

Proprietaires:  Denise & Stephen Adams

 

"At Fonplégade, we farm our vineyard not block by block, not even row by row, but carefully, vine by vine."  Denise Adams, Proprietor

 

For centuries, the legendary Saint-Emilion wine region of Bordeaux has been hailed as the birthplace of some of the world's most coveted wines.  It is here that Château Fonplégade resides.  Blessed with extraordinary terroir, this family owned, biodynamically farmed estate produces wines of uncommon grace and elegance.

 

Château Fonplégade's name (literally "fountain of plenty") was derived from the historic 13th century stone fountain that graces the estate's vineyard.  It quenched the thirst of passing pilgrims for hundreds of years, and continues to provide sustenance to the estate's vines in the driest vintages.

 

Grapevines have thrived at this exceptional site, perched on the limestone plateau that is home to Saint-Emilion's finest vineyards, since the late 1500s.  In 1852, legendary wine merchant Jean-Pierre Beylot purchased the estate and built the elegant château that still stands on the property.  Enchanted by the terroir, history and grandeur of the estate, with its ancient Roman pathways and graceful vine rows, Denise and Stephen Adams acquired Château Fonplégade in 2004 and spent 15 years tirelessly revitalizing the vineyards, renovating the cellar and lovingly restoring the château.

 

 

Rated 92 Points by Wine Spectator

 

Delightfully fruit-filled, with warm, creamy layers of cassis, raspberry puree and plum reduction gliding through atop a velvety structure.  Anise and fruitcake notes take hold on the finish, adding range and extra detail.  A bit forward in style, but an echo of chalky minerality keeps this honest.  Drink now through 2033.

 

 

 

Rated 91 Points by Wine Enthusiast

 

This densely concentrated wine is dark and serious, with powerful tannins.  It has a bitter edge and black chocolate flavors along with dark plum-skin flavor.  The structure will stand this big wine in good stead as it ages.