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.
Blend: 85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Ripe black and blue fruit here with savory undertones. Medium to full body. Tannins are firm but crunchy and lively. Structured and long. Vibrant finish with floral undertones. Classy.
Barrel Sample: 95-96 -
Decanter
Rich, high toned and open on the nose with savoury, herbal and spiced notes. Crunchy, chewy, bright sharp and sour fruit as well as high acidity, all combining to be forward and open with a cool fresh mint and crushed stone undertone. Balanced, this feels suave and detailed, not massively weighty, still has the tension and focus but everything is supremely harmonious on the palate with no one element sticking out. You can feel the density and the concentration of the fruit - blackcurrant, damson, plum, and a sense of the intensity while still having terroir markers of flint, graphite and salinity. Charming and approachable - one to seek out. Harvest 12 - 26 September. Ageing 16 months; 50% new barrels, 30% one wine, 10% cement egg, 10% amphora. Derenoncourt consultants.
Barrel Sample: 95 -
Jeb Dunnuck
the 2022 Château Fonplegade, a rich, textured Saint-Emilion that comes from a remarkable terroir on the Côte Pavie. Deep ruby and semi-opaque hued, it offers up a rocking perfume of blackcurrants, darker cherries, chocolate, roasted herbs, and spicy wood. This carries to a medium to full-bodied 2022 that's beautifully balanced, has a layered, elegant mouthfeel, nicely integrated acidity and tannins, and a gorgeous finish. You can safely put this up with the finest vintages from this château to date.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Unwinding in the glass with aromas of ripe cherries and plums, the 2022 Fonplégade is medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a rich core of fruit and powdery tannins that assert themselves on the finish. It shows promise.
Barrel Sample: 90-92
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Marked by its historic fortified village—perhaps the prettiest in all of Bordeaux, the St-Émilion appellation, along with its neighboring village of Pomerol, are leaders in quality on the Right Bank of Bordeaux. These Merlot-dominant red wines (complemented by various amounts of Cabernet Franc and/or Cabernet Sauvignon) remain some of the most admired and collected wines of the world.
St-Émilion has the longest history in wine production in Bordeaux—longer than the Left Bank—dating back to an 8th century monk named Saint Émilion who became a hermit in one of the many limestone caves scattered throughout the area.
Today St-Émilion is made up of hundreds of independent farmers dedicated to the same thing: growing Merlot and Cabernet Franc (and tiny amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon). While always roughly the same blend, the wines of St-Émilion vary considerably depending on the soil upon which they are grown—and the soils do vary considerably throughout the region.
The chateaux with the highest classification (Premier Grand Cru Classés) are on gravel-rich soils or steep, clay-limestone hillsides. There are only four given the highest rank, called Premier Grand Cru Classés A (Chateau Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Angélus, Pavie) and 14 are Premier Grand Cru Classés B. Much of the rest of the vineyards in the appellation are on flatter land where the soils are a mix of gravel, sand and alluvial matter.
Great wines from St-Émilion will be deep in color, and might have characteristics of blackberry liqueur, black raspberry, licorice, chocolate, grilled meat, earth or truffles. They will be bold, layered and lush.