Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A very composed Fronsac here with blueberry and dark-plum aromas, as well as graphite and slate-like, dark-stone nuances. The palate has such fresh and defined tannins. Very balanced, too. A blend of 95% merlot and 5% cabernet franc. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
Compact and juicy in feel, featuring a core of steeped currant and blackberry fruit that is waiting to unwind, laced by notes of tobacco, iron and mesquite. Shows good freshness due to racy acidity. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2022 through 2030.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2017 Dalem has a good intensity of baked plums, Black Forest cake and mulberries scents with nuances of pencil shavings, tar and chargrill. Medium-bodied, the palate bursts with expressive fruit, supported by a velvety texture and oodles of freshness, finishing long and savory.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Deep ruby/purple-hued, the 2017 Chateau Dalem is a Merlot-dominated blend that includes 5% Cabernet Franc and comes from a 15-hectare vineyard located on an upper plateau in Fronsac, overlooking the Dordogne Valley. Classic notes of blackcurrants, roasted herbs, chocolate, and a touch of rocky minerality all emerge from the glass, and it's terrific on the palate as well, with medium to full body, a ripe, textured, balanced mouthfeel, and a great finish. Enjoy this outstanding effort over the coming 8-10 years.
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.
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.