2015 Château Fonplegade

Château Fonplegade is a Grand Cru in the St.-Emilion appellation of Bordeaux. The 48-acre estate was founded in 1852 and in the later 19th century was for a time owned by siblings of Napoleon III. Today the estate is owned by Americans Stephen and Denise Adams, who also own Château L’Enclos and White Cottage Winery in Napa Valley. The couple invested in improvements and hired consulting oenologist Michel Rolland. Château Fonplegade is 95% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. The second wine is Fleur de Fonplegade.

Saint-Émilion is on the east side of the Dordogne River. At 13,400 acres it is one of Bordeaux’s largest appellations, and perhaps its most picturesque. It is also home to what has been called “the garagiste” movement of upstart, tradition-defying winemakers who produce artisanal wines in styles that are unconventional for the appellation. The village of Saint-Émilion dates from the middle ages and it sits on low hills, surrounded by ancient walls. Like its neighbor Pomerol, Saint-Émilion was not included in the famous Bordeaux classification system of 1855. But a century later a ranking system was put in place, and unlike the classification system for the Medoc, the Saint-Émilion system is reviewed every ten years, meaning that estates can be upgraded or downgraded. There are three rankings: Grand Cru Classé, Premier Grand Cru Classé B and Premier Grand Cru Classé A, with the final ranking being the best. Such legendary Saint-Émilion estates as Châteaux Ausone and Cheval-Blanc are Premier Grand Cru Classé A, along with Châteaux Pavie and Angélus, both added to the classification in 2012. Wines in this appellation are primarily Merlot, mixed with Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.