Winemaker Notes
Deep brilliant red color. Fruity nose with hints of black currant and blackberry. A solid, mouth filling, slightly gusty style.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Very perfumed 2014 with dried-strawberry, chocolate and wet-stone aromas that follow through to a full body, a solid core of fruit and a fresh finish. Give it time to soften.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Les Trois Croix, the Fronsac estate of Patrick Léon, has a crisp and well-defined bouquet of blackberry and bilberry fruit, cedar and tobacco joining the chorus line with aeration. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry: crisp acidity, fresh and lively with black cherries and a touch of blueberry skipping along the elegant finish. This has turned out very well in bottle after a more modest showing in barrel. This comes recommended.
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Wine Spectator
This has a solid core of plum paste and currant preserve flavors, wrapped in licorice threads and backed by a hint of bay for contrast on the finish. Shows bit of grip. Well done. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2018 through 2024.
Located 86 meters above sea level on the limestone plateau, the vineyard offers a magnificent view over the hills, valleys and mounds typical "of this count... this Fronsac" Tuscan girondine "if endearing." The plateau of clay composed of "molasses of Fronsac" relies on large limestone rock outcropping that of the surface. These are ideal conditions for Merlot, the grape king supplemented by Cabernet Franc up to 20%, which the Fronsac region is known for producing.
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.