Buying options
Tasting notes
There is less Carménère in the Fonbel blend this year, as it got struck by frost in April (down from around 6% to 4%). The nose still speaks of this spicy variety, peppered and with a herbal edge, alongside dark fruit and pencil shavings. The palate is structured and intense, with the graphite and spice following through on the long finish. 12.75% alcohol and 3.64pH. Blend: 65% Merlot, 31% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Carménère
Critic scores
Average Score
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
More reviews and scores
A unique blend of 65% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Carmenère, the 2024 Château De Fonbel sports a medium ruby hue as well as spicy, complex notes of red fruits, sappy green herbs, rose, and flowers. It's nicely textured, medium-bodied, has a juicy, lively, very elegant profile, slightly elevated acidity, and a good finish. It will be a complex, elegant, nicely balanced 2024 that will need a few years of bottle age.
Deep garnet-purple colored. Needs a little swirling to coax out notes of raspberries and juicy strawberries, plus suggestions of dried herbs, damp soil, and pencil lead. The medium-bodied palate is lightly chewy and refreshing with an earthy finish.
The 2024 Fonbel offers up notes of plums, dark berries and bay leaf, followed by a medium-bodied, taut and rather structured palate. The estate's Carménère vines frosted, so they only represent 4% of the blend this year.
About the producer
Owned by the same family as Ch. Ausone, Ch. de Fonbel is one of the best-value Saint-Emilion estates. It has a long history stretching back to the Roman era, however its story really begins when Alain Vauthier purchased the property in 1971.