2013 Château Fombrauge - St. Émilion Grand Cru, Magnum 1.5L
At 58 hectares, Château Fombrauge is the largest Grand Cru Classé of the Saint-Émilion appellation – an estate whose vineyard history goes back to 1599, owned since the late 1990s by Bernard Magrez, who today runs four Grand Cru Classé estates in Bordeaux (including Château Pape Clément and Château La Tour Carnet). This bottle comes as a 1.5-litre magnum – a format prized for its slower, more even maturation in bottle and particularly suited to cellaring and larger occasions.
Terroir and grape varieties
The 2013 vintage is based on a blend of 77% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon and 14% Cabernet Franc – grown on the clay, limestone and sandstone terroir typical of Saint-Émilion. The vineyards are spread over several plots, some on slopes near the château, some on the limestone slopes next to Château Pavie. The wine is aged for 16 to 18 months, half of it in new French oak barrels.
Tasting note
Deep crimson-garnet with a violet shimmer. On the nose, oak, leather and dark forest fruits, underpinned by black liquorice and toasty aromas. On the palate, ripe dark fruit – blackcurrant, raspberry, ripe plum – accompanied by bitter chocolate, coffee and cedar as well as fine mineral notes. Powerful, dense and full-bodied, with a silky texture and a long finish carried by ripe oak tannins.
Drinking window: The 2013 vintage in Bordeaux, considered a challenging one, is already very approachable today, more than ten years after the harvest; the magnum format also favours further, slower development.
Pairs with: Grilled beef fillet or côte de bœuf, herb-crusted rack of lamb, braised duck, game.
