2012 de Fonbel
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Tasting notes
60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 5% Carmenere. 12 months in 30% new oak. Fonbel is an ever-reliable performer and this shows good weight for the vintage. There is black fruit on the nose with a touch of jam and some toasty oak. Creamily textured with a herbal edge to the palate. Long. FINE+RARE
Critic scores
Average Score
FINE+RARE
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
Graphite, dark blue/black fruit, smoke and spices meld together in the 2012 de Fonbel. Beams of supporting minerality and tannin give the 2012 much of its energy and sense of direction. This is a very pretty, impeccably balanced wine from the Vauthier family. The blend is 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and 5% Carmenère. Drink this attractive Saint-Emilion over the next decade or so.
A sleeper of the vintage, the dark ruby/purple-colored 2012 Fonbel offers up sweet aromas of mulberries, raspberries, forest floor and loamy soil. Medium-bodied with abundant fruit, glycerin and length, it should drink well for a decade.
Sandy soil with clay and gravel. 60% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot, 5% Carmenère. Much more Cabernet character on the nose, with the perfume of Petit Verdot. Fine and juicy and lots of easy pleasure without being over simple. Likely to be GV . (JH)
About the producer
Owned by the same family as Ch. Ausone, Ch. de Fonbel is one of the best-value Saint-Emilion estates. It has a long history stretching back to the Roman era, however its story really begins when Alain Vauthier purchased the property in 1971.