Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Lots of dark berries and mushrooms with some walnuts and bark. Hints of coffee, too. Medium-bodied with medium, round tannins that are resolved and creamy. Juicy and delicately fruity finish, Merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
An amazing effort in this vintage, La Vieille Cure has been one of the top 3 or 4 Fronsacs in most recent vintages. The 2011 is fashioned from 75% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon. Many consumers will probably drink this wine entirely too young (and I have no problem with that), there is no doubt it has serious aging potential. A true revelation, this sleeper of the vintage is one of the finest wines money can buy. The dense ruby/purple color is followed by a sumptuous palate impression of silky black cherries and blackberries intermixed with wild strawberries. Opulent and rich with the abundant glycerin and lavish concentration concealing moderate tannins, this is a sensational effort in this challenging vintage. With nearly 14% natural alcohol as well as tremendous ripeness, it should drink well for 10+ years. This sleeper of the vintage merits consumer attention.
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Wine Spectator
Ripe and racy, with a mouthwatering licorice edge to the core of plum, raspberry ganache and boysenberry fruit, which moves along through the briar- and charcoal-tinged finish. Sleek, pure and focused.
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.