Not decanted, drunk over 2 days. Certainly still young, but the wine is surprisingly accessible (especially on day 2). A great Bordeaux at a fair price. 92 pts. at the moment.
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Dark ruby red. After 5 hours of double decant, the nose has become rich and dark and forest floor. On the palate, fruits become more front and centre, with loads of plum jam. Velvety smooth tannins. Good backbone, and some tautness on the acidity. Lovely lingering flavour. Not overly complex, but some interesting notes for sure. This is only going to improve from here, but is delightful to drink right now.
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Two hour decant. Deep dark magenta color. Black cherry, cassis, pound cake, and subtle thyme. Dry palate, with nice acidity. Firm, yet plush tannins on the medium long+ finish.
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Nose of bramble, damson plum, violets, licorice, dried tea. More simplistic palate with a mix of red and dark fruits, spicy, the wine is very silky. Tannins are medium and whole mouth. Acid is medium but balanced, perhaps more noticeable prickle forward (tip) on the tongue. Despite its midweight savoury balance it’s still more new world leaning to me. Easy to drink now. 92-93
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Somewhat opaque dark red in colour. Upon PnP, juicy nose of earthy fruits, some ash and leather, and herbs. Wine is medium to slightly heavy in body. Plush tannins balanced nicely by great acidity, which also provides super length. Although a rounder and gentler wine (even at this young age), it overall this feels restrained, and I feel that we are at least a couple of years premature in opening this wine. This wine will be able to survive for a very long time, and will be getting better for another 10 years or more. That being said, it is very enjoyable to drink now if there is nothing else on the shelf and you need a claret.
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Menu decanted. Deep dark magenta color. Dark plum, graphite, almond cookie, raspberry, and baker’s chocolate. Smooth, dry palate, with fuzzy, tongue coating acidity. Firm tannins on the longish finish.
This is surprisingly accessible (and quaffable). The fruit is somewhat restrained. Great QPR here.
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A very well made St. Emilion with lots of creme de cassis, plush well timed red fruit, and lurking roasted herbs and smokiness. The fruit here is in the forefront, and all the terroir notes are cloaked by the upfront vibrance of the wine, ending with a very persistent and long dry finish. With time, we should develop some coffee and beef notes and frankly, that is the stage I will be waiting for. It should take about 10 years to get there and there is nothing wrong with checking in at 1 year intervals 3 years from now. This has no problem replacing Napa wines right now with its lush and upfront allure in its youthful stage at a steal of a price. Great QPR. drink for some, Hold for me.
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Very nice, classy, well made wine from a good vintage that is still quite closed and definitely needs time to age. Decanted and drank over six hours.
Color is deep purple characteristic of good St Emilion.
After an hour the nose is still closed and tight, but cherries, prunes, sight Bordeaux funk, and dark tight fruit are detectable. On the palate the wine is beautiful, very light in mouthfeel, a lot of tannins but they are soft, very balanced structure and a delight to drink. There is a sweetness in the cherries. A bit of tartness in the cherry, and astringency, but not unpleasantly so. Finish is medium of tart cherry.
After six hours of air the wine’s bouquet was opening up, showing the same flavors, as well as the cedar and graphite noted by others, and it was delicious and more relaxed.
At $55 this is very good value. It feels like it needs at least another 3-4 years before tasting again, and will have a long life, probably picking up another point or two along the way. In our Right Bank taste testing, this is our second favorite alongside the Clos de L’Oratoire 2016, and our favorite of 2018 so far. Should pick up 6-12 bottles to age.
On day two (from the bottle, not the six hour decanted wine on day 1), the wine is still excellent. There are blueberries and cassis on the nose, in addition to the cherry.
On day three, the wine is still fully drinkable with good structure intact. A lovely wine that is not yet ready to divulge all its secrets. There’s complexity there that I hope will open up in future years, but is still fascinating even now. My wife calls it “ingestible perfume” and “contemplative.” Great stuff.
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Full bodied, modern styling. Impenetrable tannin and oak without 3-4 hours of air, then opens slightly to reveal rich bramble, blackcurrent, plum skins, graphite, dried tobacco, espresso. Balance has not emerged but it appears all the elements are there. Needs until 2026+ for everything to come together. In the meantime, the 2015 is just beginning to show beautifully. 92-94
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Rich, bright, fresh, stony, and showing a good depth of color, the floral perfume also offers licorice, black plum, black cherry, touches of espresso and crushed stone. On the palate, the wine is concentrated, full-bodied, deep and vibrant, leaving you with a long, elegant finish allowing the purity in the fruit to shine. The wine was made from a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Give this beauty about 7 years or so in the cellar and it will really start to shine.
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This young Saint-Émilion, crafted in a modern style, is an opaque crimson blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Vinturi-decanted and allowed four hours in decanter prior to tasting, it offers a core of blackcurrant and dark bramble fruit, adding attractive notes of licorice, tobacco, cedar, lavender and sage. Full-bodied, freshly acidic, seamlessly alcoholic (14.5%) and with plentiful fine-grained tannins, it is strikingly solid on the mid-palate and equally impressive on the lengthy, graphite-laden back end. This is classic-quality Bordeaux in anyone's book and is an absolute delight to drink...even at this young age. It should be at its best with a bit of cellar time. Drink 2023-2038.
Deep in color, the showy nose with its easily findable flowers, rocks, licorice, smoke, black raspberries and black cherries asserts its presence. But the real show takes place when all that perfectly ripe, velvet textured, silky, mineral driven fruit hits your palate. The volume, intensity, sweetness, lift and oceanic influences vibrate in the finish. After 14 years of a spare no expense attitude from Denise and Stephen Adams to make the best wine possible, clearly they have upped their game with the 2018 Fonplegade. The wine was made from a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc and reached 14% alcohol. The harvest took place September 13 to September 29. 94-96 Pts
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4/14/2024 - Romol wrote: 92 Points
Not decanted, drunk over 2 days. Certainly still young, but the wine is surprisingly accessible (especially on day 2). A great Bordeaux at a fair price. 92 pts. at the moment.
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1/1/2024 - _Xenon wrote: 90 Points
Distinctive nose but harsh on the palate.
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12/10/2023 - Bottle Dog Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark ruby red. After 5 hours of double decant, the nose has become rich and dark and forest floor. On the palate, fruits become more front and centre, with loads of plum jam. Velvety smooth tannins. Good backbone, and some tautness on the acidity. Lovely lingering flavour. Not overly complex, but some interesting notes for sure. This is only going to improve from here, but is delightful to drink right now.
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10/8/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 94 Points
Two hour decant. Deep dark magenta color. Black cherry, cassis, pound cake, and subtle thyme. Dry palate, with nice acidity. Firm, yet plush tannins on the medium long+ finish.
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6/30/2023 - Geerath wrote: 92 Points
Nose of bramble, damson plum, violets, licorice, dried tea. More simplistic palate with a mix of red and dark fruits, spicy, the wine is very silky. Tannins are medium and whole mouth. Acid is medium but balanced, perhaps more noticeable prickle forward (tip) on the tongue. Despite its midweight savoury balance it’s still more new world leaning to me. Easy to drink now. 92-93
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2/22/2023 - Bottle Dog Likes this wine: 94 Points
Somewhat opaque dark red in colour. Upon PnP, juicy nose of earthy fruits, some ash and leather, and herbs. Wine is medium to slightly heavy in body. Plush tannins balanced nicely by great acidity, which also provides super length. Although a rounder and gentler wine (even at this young age), it overall this feels restrained, and I feel that we are at least a couple of years premature in opening this wine. This wine will be able to survive for a very long time, and will be getting better for another 10 years or more. That being said, it is very enjoyable to drink now if there is nothing else on the shelf and you need a claret.
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2/3/2023 - AGELVIS Likes this wine: 94 Points
Menu decanted. Deep dark magenta color. Dark plum, graphite, almond cookie, raspberry, and baker’s chocolate. Smooth, dry palate, with fuzzy, tongue coating acidity. Firm tannins on the longish finish.
This is surprisingly accessible (and quaffable). The fruit is somewhat restrained. Great QPR here.
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2/3/2023 - Purple Tooth wrote: 94 Points
A very well made St. Emilion with lots of creme de cassis, plush well timed red fruit, and lurking roasted herbs and smokiness. The fruit here is in the forefront, and all the terroir notes are cloaked by the upfront vibrance of the wine, ending with a very persistent and long dry finish. With time, we should develop some coffee and beef notes and frankly, that is the stage I will be waiting for. It should take about 10 years to get there and there is nothing wrong with checking in at 1 year intervals 3 years from now. This has no problem replacing Napa wines right now with its lush and upfront allure in its youthful stage at a steal of a price. Great QPR. drink for some, Hold for me.
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4/22/2022 - Brendel Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very nice, classy, well made wine from a good vintage that is still quite closed and definitely needs time to age. Decanted and drank over six hours.
Color is deep purple characteristic of good St Emilion.
After an hour the nose is still closed and tight, but cherries, prunes, sight Bordeaux funk, and dark tight fruit are detectable. On the palate the wine is beautiful, very light in mouthfeel, a lot of tannins but they are soft, very balanced structure and a delight to drink. There is a sweetness in the cherries. A bit of tartness in the cherry, and astringency, but not unpleasantly so. Finish is medium of tart cherry.
After six hours of air the wine’s bouquet was opening up, showing the same flavors, as well as the cedar and graphite noted by others, and it was delicious and more relaxed.
At $55 this is very good value. It feels like it needs at least another 3-4 years before tasting again, and will have a long life, probably picking up another point or two along the way. In our Right Bank taste testing, this is our second favorite alongside the Clos de L’Oratoire 2016, and our favorite of 2018 so far. Should pick up 6-12 bottles to age.
On day two (from the bottle, not the six hour decanted wine on day 1), the wine is still excellent. There are blueberries and cassis on the nose, in addition to the cherry.
On day three, the wine is still fully drinkable with good structure intact. A lovely wine that is not yet ready to divulge all its secrets. There’s complexity there that I hope will open up in future years, but is still fascinating even now. My wife calls it “ingestible perfume” and “contemplative.” Great stuff.
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11/15/2021 - aero Likes this wine:
Full bodied, modern styling. Impenetrable tannin and oak without 3-4 hours of air, then opens slightly to reveal rich bramble, blackcurrent, plum skins, graphite, dried tobacco, espresso. Balance has not emerged but it appears all the elements are there. Needs until 2026+ for everything to come together. In the meantime, the 2015 is just beginning to show beautifully. 92-94
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3/19/2021 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Rich, bright, fresh, stony, and showing a good depth of color, the floral perfume also offers licorice, black plum, black cherry, touches of espresso and crushed stone. On the palate, the wine is concentrated, full-bodied, deep and vibrant, leaving you with a long, elegant finish allowing the purity in the fruit to shine. The wine was made from a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Give this beauty about 7 years or so in the cellar and it will really start to shine.
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11/20/2020 - La Cave d'Argent Likes this wine: 96 Points
This young Saint-Émilion, crafted in a modern style, is an opaque crimson blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Vinturi-decanted and allowed four hours in decanter prior to tasting, it offers a core of blackcurrant and dark bramble fruit, adding attractive notes of licorice, tobacco, cedar, lavender and sage. Full-bodied, freshly acidic, seamlessly alcoholic (14.5%) and with plentiful fine-grained tannins, it is strikingly solid on the mid-palate and equally impressive on the lengthy, graphite-laden back end. This is classic-quality Bordeaux in anyone's book and is an absolute delight to drink...even at this young age. It should be at its best with a bit of cellar time. Drink 2023-2038.
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4/19/2019 - Jeff Leve wrote: 95 Points
Deep in color, the showy nose with its easily findable flowers, rocks, licorice, smoke, black raspberries and black cherries asserts its presence. But the real show takes place when all that perfectly ripe, velvet textured, silky, mineral driven fruit hits your palate. The volume, intensity, sweetness, lift and oceanic influences vibrate in the finish. After 14 years of a spare no expense attitude from Denise and Stephen Adams to make the best wine possible, clearly they have upped their game with the 2018 Fonplegade. The wine was made from a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc and reached 14% alcohol. The harvest took place September 13 to September 29. 94-96 Pts
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