2005 Chateau de Fonbel

[William P]

2005 Chateau De Fonbel, St. Emilion Grand Cru

Perfumed nose of ripe fruit, changing quickly to slightly floral, then forest floor, with hints of herbs. Subdued but captivating. Later, a kiss of oak is appearing.

Dark crystal garnet with a beautiful pomegranate rim.

Full bodied, concentrated without being bloated or overripe. California ripeness with that oh so wonderful bordeaux soul. Perfectly balanced, nice high-tone acidity and round but abundant tannins. The fruit masks the tannic nature of this wine. I suspect if it shuts down, it will be less pleasurable to drink for at least for 5 or 6 years. Sleek but ripe and round, dare I say sexy. I think this will age well, very well. I suspect that as this wine develops it will lose some of its brightness and take on a deeper richer more sinister tone.

Taste is rich but on the dark side, a deep rich cassis, earthy.

An incredibly rich and long aftertaste and finish.

Wow, I bought this at Costco for $15.00 expecting a picnic wine and I am drinking a very rich, deep wine that will in time become very complex and satisfying. This is a five star value purchase. I gotta buy more.

[Blanquito]

This is great stuff. On release, it was brutally tannic, so it sounds like it has come together nicely from your note. I think this is one of the QPR's of the vintage.

[Chasse-Spleen]

Thanks for the note. Sounds like one to look for.
-Chasse

[Houndsong]

If I'm not mistaken this is the poor man's Moulin St. Georges which is of course the poor man's Ausone, that is to say aren't they all properties of Alain Vauthier?

[Blanquito]

Yeah, Fonbel is part of the Ausone stable.

[AKR]

I had a couple of glasses of this 2005 Fonbel [St Emilion] last night - I think it was purchased EP for $20ish? - and it was excellent. I was very pleasantly surprised, and had kind of forgotten about the Ausone link, until googling afterwards. Perfect cork, very dark still, I thought it was a little more on the medium bodied side though. Super bouquet of incense, cardamon, slate. And the palate is wonderfully balanced. It's not a jacked out fruit bomb nor a lean, wan example at all. Maybe I've had other vintages, but I can't recollect them. It really has a different style than the wave that has taken over St Emilion, and it can be used a serious sipping wine, or as a dinner wine. 1990 was pretty much my favorite vintage, but 2005 has taken over that rank, especially since one can still occasionally add to that year. I'd give this an A- and look forward to getting more vintages.

[AlohaArtakaHoundsong]

Haven't had one in a while but the 2008 is also in a serious style and showed a lot of promise upon release. I think we all appreciate a good value.

[AKR]

This 2005 Ch. de Fonbel [St Emilion] remains a very balanced, restrained example of St Emilion that ought to appeal to oenophiles preferring a less noisy Right Bank. 13.5% abv, with a bouquet of incense, sandalwood, leading into a palate that is right up the middle in fruit style/ripeness, not too red, not too black. On the second day some almond/marzipan emerge. Typical blend for the region, but there is a dollop of carmenere (!) in here too, which is now a varietal one sees more in South America, rather than a contributor to the typical Medocain/Libournaise cepage. The tannins are now resolved, and there is a bit of citrus acidity here, but harmonious enough to be enjoyed without food. A wine for fans of the svelte style. This was purchased EP, the cork is in perfect shape, and there is medium amounts of crusted sediment in the bottle. I'll slot in to the B+ zone; perhaps I should have finished these earlier but who knows. It's certainly not fading but might have been better (best) by age 15.

[stefan]

Right bank 2005s seem to be coming along well. Tonight we drank 2005 La Clemence. It is a full bodied Pomerol that is floral in the mouth, firm throughout, and has a decent finish for a wine in its class. I think it is in the early part of its "plateau of maturity".