The 2019 Château Fombrauge is terrific and has a good mix of richness, concentration, and elegance. Giving up notes of mulled ripe cherries, Asian spices, blackberries, tobacco, and cedar pencil on the nose, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a seamless, layered, pure mouthfeel, ripe tannins, and just beautiful overall balance. It's already drinking beautifully today yet will evolve positively for 5-7 years and hold for another 15-20 years. It's another brilliant Saint-Emilion in the vintage. This seemed more modern and polished from barrel but shows a very classic style now from bottle.
94+ points, Jeb Dunnuck (Apr 2022)
The 2019 Fombrauge is one of the best wines I have tasted from this property in some time. It shows all the richness that is typical of Bernard Magrez's style but with less heaviness and a good deal of aromatic presence that helps balance things out. Sweet dark cherry, chocolate, leather, licorice and mocha build into the resonant, super-expressive finish. The 2019 is a classy Fombrauge.
94 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous (Feb 2022)
This rolls through with a cashmere grace, offering cassis, steeped plum and blackberry purée flavors infused with black tea and incense notes. A late alder thread keeps this nicely grounded. Suave. Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2023 through 2035. 23,000 cases made.
93 points, James Molesworth, Wine Spectator (Mar 2022)
Perfumed nose of dried flowers, sandalwood, pine cones, currants, cassis, cloves, walnuts and spiced plums. It’s medium-to full-bodied with polished, ripe and creamy tannins. Plush and velvety with a supple, fresh finish. Drink from 2024.
93 points, James Suckling (Feb 2022)
Touch of reduction on the nose, clear effort to keep the fruits to the fore, raspberry, red cherry and blueberry. This is good quality and vibrant, more pared down than in older vintages of Fombrauge, definite edges of flint and smoke, still big shouldered and muscular. Tasted twice.
93 points, Jane Anson (Jan 2022)
The 2019 Fombrauge is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, it wafts out with fragrant notes of potpourri, underbrush, and Chinese five spice with a core of kirsch and blackberry pie. The full-bodied palate delivers generous, mouth-coating black fruits with a plush texture and great length.
93 points, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Wine Independent (May 2023)
Full, rich and ripe nose. This is heady with great drive and definition, a full, bold style with tannins and mouth watering acidity taking the fore right now leaving some astringency on the palate still. There is generous and ripe fruit - cherries, figs, blackcurrants underneath the tannins and a lovely fresh mint tone as well as liquorice to it but it needs at least a few years to soften and integrate. The length is impressive and overall it's well structured suggesting a long life ahead.
92 points, Georgina Hindle, Decanter (Jan 2022)
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