Château Fonplégade
Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Red Bordeaux Blend
St. Émilion, Libournais, Bordeaux, France
The 2012 Chateau Fonplégade is a lush, textured wine with bags of charm from a poor vintage, unmistakably right bank Bordeaux but with more than a nod, somehow, to the ripe and succulent wines of the southern Rhône.
Tasted immediately on opening, it was rather large on all fronts - really quite a ‘wow’ moment in fairness, and a splendid nose, but asking for time in the decanter (side note: actually preferred it after this pop’n’pour!)
Classical aromas of cigar box, cassis and kirsch dominate the nose; the palate is then quite concentrated with fruit that leans toward the riper side of freshness but carries through to a long and generous finish.
Overall, this is a big, showy Saint Emilion - perhaps a little over-extracted but a terrific wine nonetheless considering the vintage. I prefer the 2011 by comparison, but look forward to trying this again in a few years’ time.
The 2012 Chateau Fonplégade is a lush, textured wine with bags of charm from a poor vintage, unmistakably right bank Bordeaux but with more than a nod, somehow, to the ripe and succulent wines of the southern Rhône.
Tasted immediately on opening, it was rather large on all fronts - really quite a ‘wow’ moment in fairness, and a splendid nose, but asking for time in the decanter (side note: actually preferred it after this pop’n’pour!)
Classical aromas of cigar box, cassis and kirsch dominate the nose; the palate is then quite concentrated with fruit that leans toward the riper side of freshness but carries through to a long and generous finish.
Overall, this is a big, showy Saint Emilion - perhaps a little over-extracted but a terrific wine nonetheless considering the vintage. I prefer the 2011 by comparison, but look forward to trying this again in a few years’ time.
Deeper and more brooding than many other right bank wines, powerful tannins full bodied, yet surprisingly approachable blackberry/cassis/black plum fruit with moderate oak impression. 14% ABV. Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend. Winemaking program: concrete vats and French oak. Estate received organic certification in 2013, although not certified in 2012.
Deeper and more brooding than many other right bank wines, powerful tannins full bodied, yet surprisingly approachable blackberry/cassis/black plum fruit with moderate oak impression. 14% ABV. Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend. Winemaking program: concrete vats and French oak. Estate received organic certification in 2013, although not certified in 2012.
Jan 18th, 2019
Shows very well already, endowed with juicy black fruits, licorice, espresso, great freshness, well integrated funk and massive, ceaseless tannins.
Shows very well already, endowed with juicy black fruits, licorice, espresso, great freshness, well integrated funk and massive, ceaseless tannins.
2 people found it helpfulFeb 23rd, 2016
Easy drinking bordeaux, st emilion produces great reds with a lovely minerality and this one will trend towards the less mineral side. Drank on its own with an indie folk record (Houndmouth)
Easy drinking bordeaux, st emilion produces great reds with a lovely minerality and this one will trend towards the less mineral side. Drank on its own with an indie folk record (Houndmouth)
Apr 25th, 2018
Silky smooth sweet cherries and vanilla with a hint of espresso. One of the oldest vineyards in Saint Emilion. Call out to the man, lovingly called “The Boogeyman”, for the great Left Bank/Right Bank 2012 horizontal tasting recommendation this evening.
Silky smooth sweet cherries and vanilla with a hint of espresso. One of the oldest vineyards in Saint Emilion. Call out to the man, lovingly called “The Boogeyman”, for the great Left Bank/Right Bank 2012 horizontal tasting recommendation this evening.
Apr 15th, 2018Light and tasty. Very smooth tannins
Light and tasty. Very smooth tannins
Jan 22nd, 2018
Balanced fruit forward with pleasant tannins; very accessible
Balanced fruit forward with pleasant tannins; very accessible
Jun 7th, 2017