Winemaker Notes
The clay-limestone soils and a third of Cabernet in the blend are no strangers to the success of this Fronsac. Alliance of concentration and precision, the nose deploys a beautiful expression of black fruits that aging elegantly emphasizes. Powerful and smooth on the palate, the wine gradually gives way to ripe and powerful tannins which stretch the finish. Very good today, it would be a shame not to forget it in the cellar. Beautiful aromatic expression until the end of the mouth.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Ripe and structured, this sports a vivid core of cassis and plum that races along, with fine-grained structure and light anise, bay and chalk notes hanging in the background. The long finish has cut and drive, with the cassis accent pushing through with determination. Rock-solid. Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Best from 2018 through 2026.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: I have always been a fan of the wines from Fronsac because they are often some of Bordeaux's best values. The 2014 Château la Vieille Cure is such a wine. TASTING NOTES: It is rich with beautiful black fruit, dried leather, and a hint of oak. The wines almost New World flavors would make it a delectable match with a ribeye. (Tasted: May 11, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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Jeb Dunnuck
Cut from the same cloth as the 2015, the 2014 La Vieille Cure is a ripe, opulent Fronsac has surprising depth and richness in the vintage. Black cherries, currants, chocolate, truffle and a touch of earthy tobacco emerge from the glass and it has a plump, rounded style, as well as solid underlying tannin. It’s another terrific wine from this consistent and impeccably run estate.
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James Suckling
This is a pretty serious wine for Fronsac with rather bold tannins that are well judged and give the wine warmth, power and ageing potential! Drink or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
With signs of its wood aging that are balanced with firm tannins and concentrated black fruits, this is a solid wine, packed with tannins. There is a touch of dark chocolate as well as the ripe fruit. It is a fine wine, ready to drink from 2020.
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.