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Fonplégade 2005

RegionBordeaux
Subregion France > Bordeaux > Right Bank > St Emilion
ColourRed
TypeStill
Grape VarietyMerlot

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Tasting Notes

There is no question that the Adams family (Americans) have done an incredible job resurrecting the quality of this famous estate on the hillsides of St.-Emilion. The 2005 exhibits a saturated opaque purple color, a beautiful nose of black cherry and cassis fruit, some serious power, extract and richness, high tannin, and a hint of earthy minerality. Full-bodied, rich, and still strikingly youthful, this wine has another 20-25 years ahead of it. Drink 2015 - 2040.

94
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (219), June 2015
91
James Suckling, WineSpectator.com, February 2008

Dark crimson. Warm, rich and enveloping on the nose. Classic St-Emilion with quite enough juice and fruit yet with a good structure - ripe tannins envelope the fruit. This seems to have everything necessary for a long pretty glorious life. Neither aggressively modern nor, certainly, traditional. Nice fresh positive finish. Not heavy but really rewarding. Very long even if not massive.

18
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, February 2008

Full medium red. Deep aromas of dark cherry and nutty oak. Juicy, vinous and sweet, with nicely delineated flavors of cassis and cedar. This promising wine appears to be in the process of closing down in the bottle. Finishes with firm but sweet tannins and a lingering flavor of cassis. (My sample of the 2007 suggested a wide range of fruit ripeness and I was worried by an element of bitter oak.)

89+
Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar
Read more tasting notes...

Now owned by an American syndicate, this hillside property, not far from Angelus, has been completely renovated, and the quality has risen with each new vintage. The finest wine I’ve tasted over the last three decades is their 2005, which exhibits a dense purple color as well as a sweet nose of black currant and cherry jam intermixed with licorice, smoke, espresso roast, and scorched earth. Full-bodied with impressive concentration, a beautiful texture, and a long, 40+ second finish, this superb wine is unquestionably a sleeper of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2030

92
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (176), April 2008

A group of American investors recently purchased this hillside property and have completely renovated the estate, located near some of the finest premier grand cru classes of St.-Emilion. The 2005 exhibits a deep ruby/purple color along with aromas of crushed rocks, scorched earth, and sweet cherries and black currants. Medium to full-bodied with superb concentration, moderately sweet tannin, and a hint of espresso in its long, heady finish, it may be the finest Fonplégade produced in over three decades

90/92
Robert Parker, Wine Advocate (170), April 2007

Other surprises were the stunning performance of Ch Fonplégade, a wine that did not exactly shine when owned by Antoine Moueix. The new American owner Steve Adams has spent a reported $5m on upgrading the property, brought in Michel Rolland, instituted a regime of 100% new oak, five day cold soak and all the trimmings and really has made a splash with this 2005. Every fellow taster I asked had given it 18 points out of 20. Dark crimson. Warm, rich and enveloping on the nose. Classic St-Emilion with quite enough juice and fruit yet with a good structure - ripe tannins envelope the fruit. This seems to have everything necessary for a long pretty glorious life. Neither aggressively modern or traditional. Nice fresh positive finish. Not heavy but really rewarding. Very long even if not heavy

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com, December 2007
Please note that these tasting notes/scores are not intended to be exhaustive and in some cases they may not be the most recently published figures. However, we always do our best to add latest scores and reviews when these come to our attention. We advise customers who wish to purchase wines based simply on critical reviews to carry out further research into the latest reports.