Château Fontenil Fronsac 2018 (750ml) *
Product price
$46.99
Description
Fronsac sits on Bordeaux's right bank, in the orbit of Pomerol but with prices that have never quite followed, which makes a wine like this 2018 worth a close look. This is the home estate of Michel and Danny Rolland, and the bottling leans on the Merlot-forward character the appellation is built around. It is a full-bodied red from a warm, generous vintage, with the polish you would expect from winemakers who spend their lives refining other people's cellars.
The color runs deep, garnet edging toward purple, and the nose pushes forward with baked black plum, stewed cherry, and black raspberry, then turns savory with violets, licorice, cedar, and a dusting of clove and sandalwood. On the palate it is rich and layered, packed with dark fruit and exotic spice, but the tannins stay silky and the whole thing is held together by a chalky, mineral freshness that keeps the weight in check. There is real depth here, focused and balanced, and while it drinks beautifully now, it has plenty of road ahead.
Expert Reviews
This is so tight and polished with a degree of depth and beauty I have not seen for a while. Medium body and beautiful, silky tannins that buttress the lovely, focused fruit. (James Suckling, March 2019)
The 2018 Château Fontenil is a beautiful wine that readers will be happy to have in their cellar. Coming from the home estate of Michel and Danny Rolland in Fronsac, it offers a saturated ruby/purple hue as well as terrific Pomerol-like aromas and flavors of cassis, damp earth, violets, and cedary spice. Flawlessly balanced, medium-bodied, with background oak as well as chalky minerality, it's already hard to resist yet has another 10-15 years of prime drinking ahead of it. It's a hidden gem in the vintage. (Jeb Dunnuck, March 2021)
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Fontenil hits the ground running with vivacious notes of baked black plums, stewed black cherries and black raspberry preserves, followed by hints of molten licorice, ground cloves and sandalwood. The rich, full-bodied palate (15% alcohol) is jam-packed with black fruit preserves and exotic spice accents, framed by plush tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long and perfumed. (Wine Advocate, April 2021)