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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.7 pts. and median of 89 pts. in 36 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by michigan66 on 4/13/2024 & rated 93 points: Intense, dark and very classy (83 views) | | | Tasted by Juliansi on 3/16/2024 & rated 89 points: Dinner with our guest, CR, from France.
Our son's birth year wine - Rather tannic, but enjoyable enough with Char Siew (BBQ Pork) at our favourite Chinese eatery in town, Overseas Imbi Kuala Lumpur.
A little 1-dimensional, not so interesting on the palate! (52 views) | | | Tasted by stijngrootboerle on 2/28/2024: Great (136 views) | | | Tasted by fraundor on 2/24/2024: - Ruby color. (123 views) | | | Tasted by michigan66 on 6/8/2023 & rated 94 points: dark ruby and honey style color.
intense taste of vanilla, bananas, plumb and pepper notes.
long finish with great texture.
a valuable wine with potential for some more years. (450 views) | | | Tasted by egoya on 9/28/2022 & rated 91 points: Underestimated. Surprisingly good for the 15 Euros I payed. Last of nine bottles, wish I had more. (862 views) | | | Tasted by michigan66 on 4/19/2022 & rated 93 points: dark ruby color and deep lush smell.
on the nose almost perfect.
tastes from cherry, oak and plumb.
was as good on the second day. (962 views) | | | Tasted by michigan66 on 2/7/2022 & rated 92 points: The wine looks violet colored. The legs are medium. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like black currant (cassis), raisin, mushroom and oak. It tastes like medium toast. The body is medium. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes medium. The wine has low acidity. (1009 views) | | | Tasted by michigan66 on 2/4/2022 & rated 91 points: dark purple with a fruity but also classic bordeaux smell.
very little acid or alcohol and nice vanilla at the beginning.
keeps strong for at least 3-4 hours and even shows strength getting up then.
overall a very good saint emilion. (940 views) | | | Tasted by fraundor on 8/10/2021 & rated 89 points: - Garnet color. (978 views) | | | Tasted by fraundor on 11/15/2020 & rated 89 points: - Garnet color - 1,5-2h luften (1195 views) | | | Tasted by Pedro99 on 9/13/2020 & rated 90 points: Full (1199 views) | | | Tasted by johnmfedorko on 8/16/2020: The one bottle we had was NOT all that spectacular.....worth giving away for sure. (1091 views) | | | Tasted by tristand on 12/28/2019 & rated 89 points: Despite being an average vintage, this bottle was excellent.
Typical Bordeaux right bank Merlot flavours, well structured and long final. Enough maturity to be drunk now. (1473 views) | | | Tasted by Mark1npt on 9/29/2019 & rated 87 points: A decent daily drinker, nothing more, nothing less. Good with party food. Still pretty fruity. Not a serious BDX heavyweight in the least. (2864 views) | | | Tasted by Christian von Dresky on 4/8/2019 & rated 87 points: Well made in an more difficult vintage but rather rustic and a bit plump but with a lot of dark fruit, maybe jam, quite silky tannins and a medium structure. I have one more bottle, I am not sad about this but won´t buy more. (1800 views) | | | Tasted by _water.into.wine_ on 5/22/2018 & rated 88 points: Possibly an off bottle as I found this quite sweet and a little tart, almost oxidised. Seemed quite tight, albeit with a lush and soft mouthfeel. Was outshone against a 2011 haut batailley. I strongly recommend at least 1 hour decant as did improve with air. (2392 views) | | | Tasted by denver_vinder on 3/14/2018 & rated 89 points: The nose has foreest fruit, flowers and vanilla, open and attractive. Medium+ tannins, fine acidity, juicy blackberry fruit and a medium aftertaste. Good quality but not extraordinary. (2479 views) | | | Tasted by dbenadon on 10/1/2017 & rated 89 points: Decanted for 30 minutes and served with a very hearty beef stew. Paired beautiful as the wine is very big and juicy. (2953 views) | | | Tasted by Dmablack on 7/7/2017 & rated 92 points: Great nose and great taste, one of my semi affordable favourites (3243 views) | | | Tasted by fm1488 on 4/12/2017 & rated 90 points: Recieved this one yesterday. Really looking forward to it. Last bottle purchase and it's been while since I bought there. I was buying a lot more out of WTSO but TX shut them down.
This is a St Emillion Grand Cru. So right bank and Merlot dominant. A Bernard Magrez winery. THis one does a good maceration so I was expecting structure. 28-32 days on the MErlot and 26 - 28 on the 1% Cab. They also do a 4-8 day cold soak so I Wanted to see the structure out of this wine and I am not disappointed.
The wine is deep Ruby red and holds color to the rim. Strong legs indicate body. I love the bouquet. It is powerful and elegant at the same time. It doesn't jump out of the glass, it invites you in. Dark and red fruits, Black cherry and blackberry are at the core but lots of spice, licorice and chocolate blended in nicely.
The palate follows that bouquet largely. Subtle notes of black cherry come into it more heavily with oak layered in carefully. This wine is 10% cement aged and then half neutral and half new oak.
Mouthfeel is highly structured as I thought. Tannins are light but acidity provides that structure. Finishes nicely and evenly.
9/8/9/7/7 - 40/90 (3147 views) | | | Tasted by renatodug on 3/1/2017 & rated 89 points: Un nez très fleuri, de fruits exotiques, doux et léger, une sensation de parfum ou de poudre de riz de ma grand-mère (!). En bouche, très frais agréable. Bonne longueur. (2699 views) | | | Tasted by PanosKakaviatos on 9/6/2015 & rated 87 points: Blind tasting of Grand Cercle wines 2011 vintage: Part II (Château Bellefont-Belcier): A weak 87. Touch of volatile? Plastic, candied fruit on the nose … The palate is better, with medium plus acidity and high tannin but ripe fruit balancing each other. Somewhat hard tannin dominates on the finish however. (4804 views) | | | Tasted by il_diavolo on 5/10/2014 & rated 90 points: I liked this more than the 2004 and 2005. I especially liked that it was better on Day 2. Given the Magrez connection it could have been overdone in the average vintage but instead they seem to have gone with the elegant feminine vintage style that really suits the year. Dark ruby, blackberry and cassis - balanced and pleasant. 2011 is shaping better than expected. (4109 views) | | | Tasted by Jeff Leve on 11/17/2013 & rated 87 points: Light and forward, with an earthy, cherry and oak entry, this will be drinkable on release. (4236 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| Château Fombrauge Producer website - Read more about Chateau FombraugeRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.France Vins de France (Office National Interprofessionnel des Vins ) | Pages Vins, Directory of French Winegrowers | French Wine (Wikipedia)
Wine Scholar Guild vintage ratings
2018 vintage: "marked by a wet spring, a superb summer and a good harvest"
2019 vintage reports
2021: "From a general standpoint, whether for white, rosé or red wines, 2021 is a year marked by quality in the Rhône Valley Vineyards. Structured, elegant, fresh and fruity will be the main keywords for this new vintage."
2022 harvest: idealwine.info | wine-searcher.comBordeaux Bordeaux Wine Guide
Vins Bordeaux (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux)
History of Bordeaux
History of 1855 Bordeaux Classification
"2009 is all about ripeness, with wines impressively packed with ripe fruit and high alcohol levels. They are showy, in-your-face, and full of pleasure. The 2010s have the fruit and alcohol levels of the 2009s, but with a compelling freshness on the finish that balances the fruit and provides a perfect sense of structure." - Ben Nelson
"2016 is a landmark vintage in certain spots of Bordeaux and it should be remembered as one of the most inspired campaigns of the last 40-50+ years." -Jon Rimmerman
"The quality of red Bordeaux in 2016 was universally lauded – although the response to the en primeur campaign was muted. Quantity was high too, with the equivalent of 770 million bottles of wine produced. An exceptionally dry summer with cool nights eventually, thanks to mid September rain, resulted in small, thick-skinned, ripe grapes, and the wines are marked by high tannin and acidity, with superb aromatic fragrance." - Jancis Robinson
"2017 was complicated, but there are some excellent wines. Expect plenty of freshness and drinkability from wines that will offer excellent value, and others that will rival 2016 in terms of ripeness and ageability. But they are likely to be the exception not the rule, making careful selection key." - Jane Anson
"In the past, a vintage such as 2022 may have been overripe, raisined and low in acidity but 2022 had a sneaky little reservoir in its back pocket - a near perfect marriage of cool/cold/rain the previous winter and the previous vintage that literally soaked the soils (a key to why 2022 is not 2003...or 1893)." - Jon RimmermanLibournais Libournais (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux) - Read more about St. Emilion and its wines - Read more about Pomerol and its wines
Saint Emilion Grat Classified Growth, Classified Growths, Grands Crus Classes, GCC
In 1954, while the "Graves" growths had just published their own classification, the wine syndicate of Saint-Emilion, composed by wine growers, brokers and wine traders with the approval of the INAO - Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (A.O.C), decided to work on a classification for the wines of Saint Emilion. Initially, four grades were defined. These were reduced to two - First Great Classified Growth (A and B) and Great Classified Growth - in 1984.
As of Medoc's 1855 historical grading, the Saint-Emilion Great Classified Growth classification is not only based on qualitative criteria by tasting the wines on a ten years period previous to the assessment, but also on commercial considerations such as:
- sales price levels
- national and international commercial distribution
- the estate's reputation on the market
Properties who don't manage to join the club of about sixty Classified Growths are given the denomination of Great Growth ("Grand Cru"), while the remaining wineries of the A.O.C are simply reported as "Saint-Emilion". It is to be noted that the owners must officially apply to appear in the official classification. Thus for example the famous Chateau Tertre-Roteboeuf, whose quality and reputation would easily justify to be listed among the First Great Classified Growths, does not appear here by the will of its owner, François Mitjaville.
The Saint-Emilion Great Growth classification was revised in 1969, 1985, 1996 and 2006. The only two guaranteed vintage (A.O.C) who can apply to the classification are the "Saint-Emilion Grand Cru" and "Saint-Emilion" areas.
By grading 61 properties, the 2006 revision confirmed many growths from the former classification, but also caused a number of surprises and a few inevitable disappointments. Many observers thought that the impressive progression of Perse's Chateau Pavie since 1998 would be rewarded by an upgrade into the First Great Classified Growths (A) category, but finally such was not the case.
Among the estates promoted to the First Great Classified Growths B category are Chateau Troplong-Mondot and Pavie-Macquin, whose efforts made since the Nineties fully justify their new grade. It should be noted that no First Great Classified Growth was relegated to the lower Great Classified Growth class.
Promoted growths from the status of Great Growth ("Grand Cru") to Great Classified Growth ("Grand Cru Classe") are: Chateaux Bellefont-Belcier, Destieux, Fleur Cardinale, Grand Corbin, Grand Corbin-Despagne and Monbousquet.
The demoted growths from the status of Great Classified Growth to Great Growth are: Chateaux Bellevue, Cadet Bon, Faurie de Souchard, Guadet Saint-Julien, La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Belivier), La Tour du Pin-Figeac (Moueix), Lamarzelle, Petite Faurie de Soutard, Tertre Daugay, Villemaurine and Yon-Figeac. If the recent samples of some of the above mentioned properties may justify their current downgrade, there are great chances that estates like Bellevue, Tertre Daugay or Yon-Figeac will be upgraded to their previous rankings by the next revision in 2016 as the progresses noted after 2000, but not entering in the range of vintages (1993 - 2002) appointed for the criteria of selection for the 2006 classification, are noticable.
The two following estates have completely disappeared from the Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classification: Curé-Bon-la-Madeleine (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Canon) and La Clusière (integrated meanwhile to Chateau Pavie).
Finally, no estate considered as "garagiste" has integrated the classification. Valandraud, Mondotte, Le Dome, Bellevue-Mondotte or Magrez-Fombrauge have, for the least, the potential to be ranked as Great Classified Growths. In sight of the very fine quality reached by the above mentioned estates in recent vintages as well as all the innovative wine making methods used by the "garagistes", it remains to be seen whether the authorities will dare to cross the line in 2016..?St. Émilion Grand Cru Les Vins de St. Émilion (Syndicate Vitocole de Saint-Emilion) – Read about St. Emilion
Vins de Bordeaux:
Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Soil: Sandy soils with alluvial gravel deposits
Surface Area: 4,160 ha |
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