Chateau La Freynelle 2017
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Winemaker Notes
Brilliant garnet color with purple reflections. Intensely expressive nose of blackcurrants, blackberries, spices and vanilla. Rich and powerful in the mouth with red fruit flavors and harmonious and silky smooth tannins. cheese. This very elegant and approachable wine can be paired with pasta, poultry, red meat and cheese.
Blend: 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon
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Decanter
70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. Justifiably winning the Médaille d’Argent at the Concours des vins à Paris for this vintage, I cannot but add praise and mention how well the smooth ripeness of the 70% Merlot is balanced by the more structured but also suave Cabernet Sauvignon tannins. Although I prefer the 2015, this vintage also merits your attention! Crafted by the talented Véronique Barthe. Drink Until 2023
Other Vintages
2019-
Wine &
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Chateau La Freynelle is a 75 hectare estate (185 acres) in the village of Daignac, in the heart of the Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux. The story started in 1789 when Jean Barthe, a general under Napoleon Bonaparte, settled in the area and planted the first vines of what would then be called Château La Freynelle. For seven generations, the property was passed on from father to son. In 1992, Veronique Barthe, the first daughter born into the family since the French Revolution, inherited the family estate at the age of 22 years old. This was the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the estate. Her first decision was to do estate bottling at the property, which had never been done before. She also replanted her entire vineyard and invested in a brand new cellar. She has taken her wines to the highest level possible and the wine regularly receives press accolades. Recently, she has also been working closely with the consultant enologist Stéphane Toutoundji on her agricultural practices and her vinification.
Most of the production is dedicated to red wine, but she also makes a white wine and a rosé. The vines are 25 years old in average and lie clay-limestone soils. For the red wine, after harvest, the grapes these are destemmed, crushed and fermented in stainless steel tank. The wine is aged in stainless steel tanks and barrels. Her cuvée of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon ages in barrels. These are bottled 12-16 months after harvest. For the white wine, after harvest, the grapes are destemmed, pressed and fermented in stainless steel tanks at low temperatures. The wine is bottled a few months after harvest. Estate grown and bottled for all wines. Sustainable practices.
Today, Cha^teau La Freynelle is one of the finest and leading properties in the Entre-Deux-Mers area. It produces two red wines (a Merlot blend and a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon), a white wine (Sauvignon Blanc blend) and a limited release rosé (100% Cabernet Sauvignon).
In most of France, wines are named by their place of origin and not by the type of grape (with the exception of Alsace). Just like a red Burgundy is by law, always made of Pinot noir, a red Bordeaux is a blended wine composed mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Depending on the laws of the village from which the grapes come, the conditions of the vintage and decisions of the winemaker, the blend can be further supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot and in rare cases, Carmenere. So popular and repeated has this mix of grape varieties become worldwide, that the term, Bordeaux Blend, refers to a wine blended in this style, regardless of origin.