About this WINE
Chateau Fombrauge
Château Fombrauge is a St-Emilion property, which, since its acquisition by a Danish consortium in 1987, has gone from strength to strength. Since 1999 Fombrauge has been owned by Bernard Magrez, who also owns Pape-Clément in Pessac-Léognan. Fombrauge's 50-hectare vineyard is located in the far west of the St-Emilion appellation, on a limestone plateau in the commune of St. Christophe.
Fombrauge is typically a blend of 75% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Cabernet Franc. The grapes are fermented in temperature-controlled, concrete vats and the wine is then matured in oak barriques (30% new) for 14-16 months. It shows at its best with at least 5 years of bottle ageing.
Cabernet Sauvignon Blend
Cabernet Sauvignon lends itself particularly well in blends with Merlot. This is actually the archetypal Bordeaux blend, though in different proportions in the sub-regions and sometimes topped up with Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.
In the Médoc and Graves the percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon in the blend can range from 95% (Mouton-Rothschild) to as low as 40%. It is particularly suited to the dry, warm, free- draining, gravel-rich soils and is responsible for the redolent cassis characteristics as well as the depth of colour, tannic structure and pronounced acidity of Médoc wines. However 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wines can be slightly hollow-tasting in the middle palate and Merlot with its generous, fleshy fruit flavours acts as a perfect foil by filling in this cavity.
In St-Emilion and Pomerol, the blends are Merlot dominated as Cabernet Sauvignon can struggle to ripen there - when it is included, it adds structure and body to the wine. Sassicaia is the most famous Bordeaux blend in Italy and has spawned many imitations, whereby the blend is now firmly established in the New World and particularly in California and Australia.
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