Château Magrez Fombrauge 2017

Massive extract, perfectly round: world-class wine.

Inviting, featuring warmed plum sauce, anise and blackberry compote aromas and flavors. Plush in feel, with seductive toast infusing the finish. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2028. 291 cases made.

Lots of blueberry and orange-peel aromas here with some blackberries as well. Full-bodied, very tight and intense with refinement and polish at the end. Lovely length and balance with just a touch of smoked oak on the finish. Needs a few years to come together. Try after 2023.

The 2017 Magrez-Fombrauge is plush, dark and inviting, with terrific balance and tons of near- and medium-term appeal. Succulent black cherry, plum, chocolate, spice and new oak give the wine its extroverted, racy personality. There is not a whole lot of subtlety here, but the 2017 is a delicious, unfussy Saint-Émilion that will drink well right out of the gate.

Inky in color with licorice, black cherry, black raspberry and smoky notes on the nose, this wine is full-bodied, fleshy, round, soft and polished. There is freshness and volume on the palate along with a healthy dose of oak. This is not for drinking in its formative years, because when it all comes together, this will be a markedly better wine as the oak integrates.

Deep, dark ruby colour with purple reflections and a delicate, bright rim. On the nose, sweet black wild-berry fruit, a touch of nougat, a delicate fig aroma and spicy nuances. Juicy and elegant on the palate, with good complexity, well-integrated spicy oak notes and a chocolaty finish. Persistent, with development potential.

Dark inky core with a purple hue. Mild oak, butterscotch, ripe red and dark fruit aromas with tobacco and liquorice. Dense and concentrated palate, still youthful but with a ripe texture, good extract, succulent fruit flavours, integrated oak and a very long, dense finish.

Deep purple-garnet with violet highlights. Intense bouquet with plenty of elderberry, cassis, licorice and dark roasted notes that suggest the wine’s depth. Meaty palate with very concentrated extract, vinified—as always—at the outer limit. Long-lasting, black-berry finish. Once it digests this muscle mass, it can gain further complexity.

Kunz barrel sample 18: concentrated, deep, velvety bouquet; black berries, blackberry jam, delicate plum notes, graphite. Densely interwoven, generously opulent palate with powerful, sweet fruit, plenty of fine tannins, concentrated structure, dark aromatics, long, creamy finish.

Concentrated, deep, velvety bouquet, black berries, blackberry jam, delicate plum notes, graphite. Densely knit, generously opulent palate with powerful, sweet fruit, plenty of fine tannins, concentrated structure, dark aromatics, long, creamy finish. 18/20 2025 - 2045

Sappy, juicy, vibrant, elegant, racy, spicy wine, with impressive density, crunchy tannins, and a very long finish.

Deep color with violet highlights. Intense bouquet marked by notes of black berries and oak aging. A touch of candied fruit. Smooth, creamy attack. On the palate, the wine has body and is also marked by its aging. A pervasive sweetness all the way through to a warm finish. Basically, the wine is sound; there’s just a bit too much of everything.

The nose is fruity, precise, well-managed, elegant, and offers fine richness as well as a lovely finesse of grain. It reveals notes of crushed blackberry, crushed wild blackcurrant, and cornflower/lily, combined with fine touches of wild red berries, Sichuan pepper, coffee, and subtle hints of spices. The palate is fruity, fleshy, well-managed, and offers a fine creaminess as well as indulgence. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of blackberry, crushed wild blackcurrant and, more slightly, wild strawberry, combined with fine touches of chocolate, toasted nuances, caramelized almond, as well as subtle hints of racy minerality, a delicate touch of grey pepper (in the background), and very discreet hints of vanilla. The tannins are well-managed. Good length. A hint of cocoa, spices, black tea, and caramelized almond lingers on the finish.

Dark, intense, purple color. Moderately aromatic, fruity nose. Very fruity on the palate, developing flavorful and fairly dense mid-palate, with the usual touch of oak on the finish at this stage. Good length. A distinct style. Blend: 75% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Franc.