Winemaker Notes
Blend: 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Spicy red and black fruits, leafy herbs, toasted spices, and graphite all emerge from the 2023 Château Fombrauge, one plush, sexy, full-bodied Saint-Emilion that has perfectly ripe, polished tannins, no hard edges, and a great finish.
Barrel Sample: 93-95 -
James Suckling
Attractive fruit with berries, plums and spices alongside some oyster shells and iodine. It’s medium-bodied with creamy texture and a juicy finish. Hints of mushroom and bark. 92% merlot and 8% cabernet franc. Delicious already but will age nicely.
-
Vinous
The 2023 Fombrauge is terrific. Rich, deep and explosive, the 2023 packs a serious punch. There's plenty of the textural richness Bernard Magrez loves, but it’s just a bit tempered compared to previous years. Succulent red cherry, plum, rose petal, spice, menthol, licorice and mocha infuse the 2023 with notable depth. Bright acids refresh the palate nicely. Tasted four times. –Antonio Galloni
Barrel Sample: 92-94 -
Decanter
Aging for 16 months in 35% new oak, this Merlot-dominated wine exudes a bright nose with freshness and red and blackberry fruit, both brambly and rich on the palate. Crafted from grapes harvested between 14 September and 10 October – a long harvest – and cropped at 49 hectolitres per hectare, the wine successfully balances the rather high alcohol of nearly 15% with a low pH of 3.54. Tasted twice with similar results.
Barrel Sample: 93 -
Wine Spectator
A mix of gently mulled red and black currant fruit glides through with grace, as black tea, singed anise and warm earth hints filter through on the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
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.