2007 Château Faugeres

Château Faugeres is a Grand Cru Classe, 54-acre estate in St.-Emilion. Though its history can be traced back many centuries, in 1987 it was purchased by Pierre-Bernard Guisez and his wife Corinne, who worked with winemaking consultant Michel Rolland to improve the quality of the wine. In 2005 the estate was purchased by Swiss entrepreneur Silvio Denz, who owns the glass art company Lalique and several other wine producers in Bordeaux, Tuscany and Spain. The vineyards are planted to 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The estate produces about 100,000 bottles of the flagship wine annually. The second wine is Haut Faugeres. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called Faugeres “One of the up-and-coming stars of St.-Emilion…”

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.