2009 Château Fombrauge Cuvée le Cadran

Community Tasting Notes (3) Avg Score: 89 points

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  6/30/2018 - forceberry wrote: flawed

  A blend of Merlot (90%), Cabernet Franc (9%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (1%). Aged in barriques, of which approx. 2/3 were new. 14,5% alcohol. Tasted blind.
  
  Somewhat translucent and rather dark red color with an obviously developed, dull nutty brown hue. The nose is obviously very oxidative with aromas of pruney fruit, some oxidative nuttiness, light meat consommé notes, a little bit of syrupy molasses and an aldehydic hint of tangy green apples. The wine feels full-bodied, dense and chewy on the palate with very tertiary but - contrasting the nose - surprisingly complex flavors of plum liqueur, raisins, some earthy spice, a little bit of soy sauce, a hint of minty character and a touch of chocolate chips. The wine is moderately tannic and medium in acidity; especially the tannins stick out and feel very astringent due to the lack of balancing fresh fruit flavors. The finish is dense, chewy and grippy with powerful, tertiary flavors of raisins, some pruney dark fruits, light nutty oxidation, a bittersweet hint of dark chocolate and a touch of soy sauce.
  
  It was obvious that this wine had a faulty closure because the wine was much more oxidized than how a wine of this age should be. As the wine came from my personal cellar where I have kept a lot of bottles for much longer without problems, I suspect that this wine had a poor cork and the wine was compromized already when I had bought the bottle. Nevertheless, the wine wasn't as bad as the flat and almost thoroughly oxidized nose suggested: the wine actually showed some fruit and surprising complexity on the palate. However, seeing how this wine was definitely non-representative of its style, I decided to leave it unrated.

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  11/21/2015 - certainly sir Likes this wine: 90 Points

  Very nice nose. Black currant, cigar room, earth. Palate is quite not following the nose. But very nice quality wine. Smooth tannins and good acidity.

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  11/10/2015 - forceberry wrote: 88 Points

  A blend of Merlot (77%), Cabernet Franc (14%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (9%).
  
  Very deep and only slightly translucent black reddish color with a subtle hint of blackcurrant blue. The nose is ripe and quite expressive with juicy aromas of black cherries, juicy plums, some strawberries, a little bit of chocolatey oak, a hint of toasty smoke and a touch of savory wood spice. The wine is big, rich and full-bodied on the palate with juicy and somewhat sweet-toned flavors of ripe plummy fruit, juicy red fruits, some strawberry jam, a little bit of chocolatey oak, light mocha tones and a hint of sweet black cherry. The wine is moderately high in acidity with ripe and what grippy tannins. The finish is ripe, quite long and gently grippy with bold flavors of ripe dark berries, some plummy fruit, a little bit of chocolatey oak, a hint of strawberry jam and a touch of mocha.
  
  A big, smooth and approachable Right-Bank Bordeaux from the modern, oaky and fruit-forward end. The oak seems to show some degree of integration, as it isn't as overwhelming as it can be in these wines, but it is still quite noticeable. Overall the wine is pretty sweetly-fruited, but there's good balance and sense of structure, so even though the wine is drinking just fine right now, I suspect the wine will continue to develop from here: with any luck the oak will further integrate with the fruit and the sweetly-fruited baby fat will dry up with age. Not really a Bordeaux for my taste, but in its own style this is a decent effort. Priced according to its quality at 31,50€.

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