2016 Fonreaud
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Tasting notes
52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot. 30% new oak for 12–18 months. Quite deep crimson. Ferny, green-vegetation nose – by which I don’t mean underripe. Sweet start and then very lively on the palate. This should make old bones but will never be especially concentrated. Long and vibrato. Though at present quite dry on the end. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Château Fonreaud is a terrific Listrac and is up with the top wines from the appellation. Showing the more medium-bodied, elegant style of Listrac, with pretty mulberry and cherry fruits, it has hints of toasted bread and flowers, a rounded, supple texture, and is a totally charming, beautifully balanced 2016 to drink over the coming 8-10 years. It’s far from a blockbuster but it’s a great drink.
A delicate 2016 with hot stones, currants and hints of cedar. Medium to light body. Easy yet firm finish. A blend of 52 per cent cabernet sauvignon, 44 per cent merlot and four per cent petit verdot. Drink in 2020.
Peppery fragrance. Black fruit and cedar. Dry, tight and almost austere but in a nice way. A wine for bordeaux classicists not those who seek obvious fruit. Tannins are dry and very fine. (JH)
About the producer
Situated at the highest point in the Médoc (at a huge 43 metres above sea-level), this estate is thought to be named after a spring on the site, from which Henry II supposedly drank (a “royal fountain”).