2019 Château Fombrauge

The 2019 Fombrauge has quite a perfumed bouquet with red berry fruit, a splash of balsamic and Asian spice. Quite flattering in style. The palate is medium-bodied with edgy tannins, a fine bead of acidity, not overly-complex and the oak impedes slightly towards the finish. But a couple of years in bottle and I believe this will be drinking well. Tasted blind at the Southwold annual tasting.

- Neal Martin (01/2023)

Perfumed nose of dried flowers, sandalwood, pine cones, currants, cassis, cloves, walnuts and spiced plums. It’s medium-to full-bodied with polished, ripe and creamy tannins. Plush and velvety with a supple, fresh finish. Drink from 2024. (02/2022)

The 2019 Château Fombrauge is terrific and has a good mix of richness, concentration, and elegance. Giving up notes of mulled ripe cherries, Asian spices, blackberries, tobacco, and cedar pencil on the nose, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a seamless, layered, pure mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and just beautiful overall balance. It's already drinking beautifully today yet will evolve positively for 5-7 years and hold for another 15-20 years. It's another brilliant Saint-Emilion in the vintage. This seemed more modern and polished from barrel but shows a very classic style now from bottle. (04/2022)

The 2019 Fombrauge is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it wafts out with fragrant notes of potpourri, underbrush, and Chinese five spice with a core of kirsch and blackberry pie. The full-bodied palate delivers generous, mouth-coating black fruits with a plush texture and great length. (05/2023)

This rolls through with a cashmere grace, offering cassis, steeped plum and blackberry purée flavors infused with black tea and incense notes. A late alder thread keeps this nicely grounded. Suave. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2035. 23,000 cases made.

- J.M.

The 2019 Fombrauge exhibits rich aromas of cherries, dark chocolate, plum preserve, licorice and new oak, followed by a full-bodied, rich and fleshy palate that's soft and fleshy, with a sweet core of fruit, ripe acids and rich, powdery tannins. This is a generous, front-loaded Saint-Émilion from Bernard Magrez.

- William Kelley (04/2022)