Fonbel 2015

St Emilion, Grand Cru

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Tasting Notes
The 2015 Fonbel has a delightful bouquet with raspberry and blackberry fruit and hints of pencil lead that I did not notice out of barrel. It's quite tight at the moment and will require bottle age to open. The palate is medium-bodied with a fleshy, caressing opening. There is a mixture of red and black fruit here with graphite and allspice, a finely proportioned Fonbel with quite a sustained finish. Very fine. Score: 91 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2021-2032 01 March 2018
The 2015 Fonbel, which you might regard as the entry-level wine of the Vauthier family, is a blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Carmenère and 5% Petit Verdot matured in stainless steel and French barrels (30% of the crop.) It has a straightforward, lavender-tinged bouquet with a chalky scent that becomes more apparent with aeration. It is a little tight compared to the 2015 Simard at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin and a fine thread of acidity. Smooth with dark cherries, red plum and cassis notes, it exerts a pleasant grip on the finish. The class comes through in the mouth at the moment, but the aromatics will catch up during their élevage. Score: 90 - 92 Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2019-2035 01 April 2016
This property is owned and managed by the Vauthier family of Château Ausone. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Fonbel—composed mainly of Merlot with splashes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and Petit Verdot—is scented of warm black plums, blackberry preserves, tar and bay leaves with touches of scorched earth and chargrill. Medium to full-bodied with very fine, silky tannins and amazing freshness, the palate offers stacks of red and black fruits, going minerally on the long finish. Score: 92 Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2019-2033 21 February 2018
A firm and silky red with plum and berry character. Medium body, bright acidity and an orange-peel undertone. Drink in 2020. Score: 92 James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 02 February 2018
The 2015 de Fonbel is another intense wine from the Vauthier family. Plum, crème de cassis, menthol, violet and lavender notes are fused together in this super-expressive, unctuous Saint-Émilion. The 2015 is rich, exotic and super-concentrated, yet it has also retained striking freshness. This is yet another 2015 Bordeaux that is pure pleasure. The blend is 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Carménère and 5% Petit Verdot, done mostly in stainless steel, with about 30% oak. Score: 89 - 92 Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 01 April 2016
Quite spicy on nose, sweet black fruits on palate, vanilla, nicely balanced and rounded on the finish. Good. Score: 89 - 91 Albany Vintners, - 01 April 2016

Tasting Notes

The 2015 Fonbel has a delightful bouquet with raspberry and blackberry fruit and hints of pencil lead that I did not notice out of barrel. It's quite tight at the moment and will require bottle age to open. The palate is medium-bodied with a fleshy, caressing opening. There is a mixture of red and black fruit here with graphite and allspice, a finely proportioned Fonbel with quite a sustained finish. Very fine.

Score: 91

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2021-2032 01 March 2018

The 2015 Fonbel, which you might regard as the entry-level wine of the Vauthier family, is a blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Carmenère and 5% Petit Verdot matured in stainless steel and French barrels (30% of the crop.) It has a straightforward, lavender-tinged bouquet with a chalky scent that becomes more apparent with aeration. It is a little tight compared to the 2015 Simard at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe tannin and a fine thread of acidity. Smooth with dark cherries, red plum and cassis notes, it exerts a pleasant grip on the finish. The class comes through in the mouth at the moment, but the aromatics will catch up during their élevage.

Score: 90 - 92

Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2019-2035 01 April 2016

This property is owned and managed by the Vauthier family of Château Ausone. Medium to deep garnet-purple colored, the 2015 Fonbel—composed mainly of Merlot with splashes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and Petit Verdot—is scented of warm black plums, blackberry preserves, tar and bay leaves with touches of scorched earth and chargrill. Medium to full-bodied with very fine, silky tannins and amazing freshness, the palate offers stacks of red and black fruits, going minerally on the long finish.

Score: 92

Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate, RobertParker.com Maturity: 2019-2033 21 February 2018

A firm and silky red with plum and berry character. Medium body, bright acidity and an orange-peel undertone. Drink in 2020.

Score: 92

James Suckling, JamesSuckling.com 02 February 2018

The 2015 de Fonbel is another intense wine from the Vauthier family. Plum, crème de cassis, menthol, violet and lavender notes are fused together in this super-expressive, unctuous Saint-Émilion. The 2015 is rich, exotic and super-concentrated, yet it has also retained striking freshness. This is yet another 2015 Bordeaux that is pure pleasure. The blend is 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Carménère and 5% Petit Verdot, done mostly in stainless steel, with about 30% oak.

Score: 89 - 92

Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 01 April 2016

Quite spicy on nose, sweet black fruits on palate, vanilla, nicely balanced and rounded on the finish. Good.

Score: 89 - 91

Albany Vintners, - 01 April 2016

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