2019 Fontenil
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Tasting notes
The 2019 Château Fontenil is, I suspect, mostly Merlot, and it's another fine Fronsac in this vintage. Ripe black cherries, forest floor, Asian spices, and chocolate notes all emerge on the nose, and it's full-bodied, ripe, and sexy on the palate, with sweet tannins, no hard edges, and wonderful overall balance. It dishes out tons of pleasure and is a much more approachable, forward wine compared to the Le Défi de Fontenil while still possessing the class to evolve for 10-15 years.
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
Rich aromas of plummy fruit, crème de cassis, mocha and creamy new oak preface the 2019 Fontenil, a full-bodied, rich and muscular wine built around a generous endowment of powdery tannin. It's impressively lively, but also decidedly punchy in style, with some alcoholic heat poking through on the liqueured finish.
The 2019 Fontenil has evolved nicely during its barrel maturation, developing more detail and precision on the nose of red fruit sous-bois and candied orange peel. The palate is medium-bodied, fresh and vibrant, with supple tannins, fine structure and a silky-smooth, persistent finish. Superb.