Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesVery pretty Fronsac with black fruit, licorice and hints of wood. It’s medium-bodied with chewy tannins and a polished finish. Barrel Sample: 91-92
Deep purple-black colored, the 2020 Clos du Roy leaps from the glass with vibrant notes of black cherries, baked plums and mossy tree bark, with wafts of wild mushrooms and chargrill. The medium to full-bodied palate delivers a rock-solid structure of grainy tannins and bold freshness to support the generous black fruit, finishing earthy. Barrel Sample: 90-92
Barrel Sample: 92
The first proper bottling in Chateau Clos du Roy was in 1970. Beforehand, the vine of this small wine estate was sold as bulk wine to wine trading companies. Clos du Roy quickly gained some fame and ranked among the high quality Fronsac wines.
The Clos du Roy is a family owned 15-hectare wine estate whose wines fully express the richness and the complexity of the greatest Fronsac vines. The Clos du Roy is naturally strong ant prone to ageing, its winemaking process is lead by a constent care for balance and delicacy.
Home of the very first remarkable Right Bank wines, dating back to the 1730s, Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac actually retained more fame than Pomerol well into the 19th century. Today these wines represent some of Bordeaux’s best hidden gems.
Fronsac is a very small region at an unusually high elevation compared to other Bordeaux appellations. Its vineyards unroll along the oak-dotted hills bordering the river’s edge, making it perhaps Bordeaux’s prettiest and most majestic countryside.
Merlot covers 60% of the vineyard acreage; the rest of the vines are Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Fronsac and Canon-Fronsac appellations are limited to the higher land where soils are predominantly limestone and sandstone. Lower vineyards along the Dordogne River mainly qualify for Bordeaux AOC status
The best Fronsac are deeply concentrated in ripe red and black berry; they have a solid mineral backbone and are rich and plush on the finish.
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.