Château Fombrauge 2020

A Saint-Émilion Grand Cru revealed by Bernard Magrez

The estate

With origins dating back to the 16th century and its first harvest dating back to 1599, Château Fombrauge is one of the oldest estates in Saint-Émilion. The magnificent property has a charterhouse dating from the 17th century. Under the leadership of the Dumas de Fombrauge family, Château Fombrauge has become a real model for Bordeaux viticulture. This Bernard Magrez property shines today as one of the most beautiful of Saint-Émilion.

The vineyard

Located around Saint-Christophe des Bardes, the Château Fombrauge vineyard covers 58 hectares of vines aged 37 years on average. These vines are planted in clay-limestone soils with “molasses du Fronsadais.” The vineyard, certified High Environmental Value Level 3, is cultivated by means of plot maintenance with grassing of the vine rows and ploughing.

Winemaking and ageing

The wines of Château Fombrauge are produced through very meticulous plot selection by terroir and grape variety, always with consideration for the age of the vines. The property is equipped with drones, which map the various levels of fruit ripeness. Once manual harvest is complete, the small crates are brought to the winery, where the fruit is sorted on a table by 20 experienced individuals. The grapes are vinified in wooden, stainless steel and concrete tanks of small capacity by means of gravity with pre-fermentation maceration and full manual punch-downs. Ageing lasts for 16 months in barrels, of which 40% are new and 60% are of one previous wine.

The blend

The 2020 Château Fombrauge is made of a blend of Merlot (96%) and Cabernet Franc (4%).