Château Fombrauge 2020

Frankly ripe and forward, with a broad swath of dark plum, blackberry and boysenberry compote flavors that course through, supported by light licorice root and alder threads. Reveals a warm earth note that drapes over the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2025 through 2035.

Dark and ripe, suave, sleek and savoury. Striking and linear from start to finish. Clearly powerful, with concentration and intensity of flavour. Excellent acidity and life in general. It's still precise and tense which does restrict the overall expression, just putting the liquorice and minty freshness ahead of the black bramble fruits, but this has been well handled. A lovely, tight, liquorice-tinged wine. 15% alcohol gives a hefty feel but is integrated thanks to the acidity and the fresh, stony nature. A lot to like and true to style.

Lots of blackberry, blackcurrant, iron and lead pencil character on the nose and palate. Medium to full body. Tight and focused tannins. Lots of freshness. Bitter orange at the end. Chewy tannins. Needs time to soften. Better after 2030.

The 2020 Fombrauge is enticing right out of the gate. Cherries in liqueur, spice, rose petal, menthol, licorice and chocolate make a strong first impression. Racy and deep, with notable textural resonance, Fombrauge is terrific in 2020. There's plenty of opulence and yet the 2020 is nicely balanced.

Ripe, round, lush, forward and fruity, the wine is packed with chocolaty notes, plums, espresso and licorice from top to bottom. The rich, concentrated layers of plush, polished fruit linger on your palate, which is a good thing, as they are delicious. Drink from 2023–2040.

Deep, dark ruby, opaque core, purple reflections, delicate ochre rim. Fine nougat, dark berries, ripe plums, subtle vanilla and fine oak, candied orange zest. Juicy, good complexity, chocolaty texture, fresh, well-structured with nicely integrated tannins, salty finish. Fine and savoury.

A usually round, opulent and generous style with layers of dark fruit, toast, some new oak, pepper and dry spices, with a polished texture and a generous, long finish.

Cassis, black raspberries, graphite, spicy oak, and floral notes all emerge from the 2020 Château Fombrauge, a wonderfully textured, medium- to full-bodied, concentrated yet elegant Saint-Emilion. A wine that builds beautifully with time in the glass, it is complex, has ripe, silky tannins, and a great finish. Tasted on more than one occasion, it never failed to impress. Drink this richly textured, sexy, beautiful 2020 over the coming 15+ years.

Kunz barrel sample 2021: (96% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc) Velvety, full, fruity, sweet bouquet, strawberry jelly, chocolate, currants, balsa wood. Dense, silky, finely opulent palate with creamy, powerful fruit, plenty of fine tannin, dense, finely muscular structure, powerful dark aromatics, long, powerful, aromatic finish with lots of lingering flavors. Can still improve.

Richly expressed sweet blackberry and red cherry fruit offset by bitter chocolate shavings, plenty of volume through the mid palate, well executed, careful and precise, with firm tannins that form shoulders and walls. Bernard Magrez owner, Olivier Desmond director, Michel Rolland consultant at this 58ha estate. Heavy bottle.

The 2020 Fombrauge is a blend of 96% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Deep garnet-purple in color, it bursts out with pronounced notes of baked black plums, mulberries, and black cherry preserves, plus hints of licorice, tar, and truffles. The full-bodied palate is jam-packed with ripe, rich black fruits, supported by plush tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and spicy.

Fombrauge aims for elegance and precision. Its inviting blackcurrant notes announce a fruit-forward wine, confirmed from the very first sip. Fombrauge 2020 has smooth, supple tannins that will make it enjoyable even in its youth.

With its fresh, appetizing palette of cedar and cherry clafoutis, it offers a fine balance between tension and ripeness, a tricky feat in this warm vintage. A luscious attack leads into red, chalky fruit, the generosity of black plum, the class of a graphite streak, and already some fresh spices on the finish.

(96% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc) Silky, full, fruity, sweet bouquet, strawberry jelly, chocolate, currants, balsa wood. Dense, velvety, finely opulent palate with creamy, powerful fruit, plenty of fine tannin, dense, finely muscular structure, powerful dark aromatics, long, powerful, aromatic finish with lots of lingering after-aromas. Can still improve. 17/20 2027 - 2040

Dark, intense color. Moderately aromatic nose with ripe, creamy, oaky fruit. On the palate, the tactile work is done; aromatically, there’s still more to come. Medium length. Blend: 96% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc. Yield: 21.5 hl/ha.

93–95. Barrel Sample. From vines surrounding one of Saint-Emilion's most beautiful château, this wine is massively rich with dense tannins, dark chocolate and rich berry flavors. Obviously, it has a fine future, ripe with powerful fruits and structure.