NV Defi de Fontenil
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The non-vintage (but I think it all comes from 2010) Le Defi seems slightly more muscular and a touch more tannic, but otherwise, the aromatic and flavor spectrums are essentially identical. The Le Defi should have the same aging curve as the classic cuvee of Fontenil. There is not as much difference as one might expect between these two wines from the home estate of Dany and Michel Rolland.
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Robert Parker
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As usual, Le Defi is nearly all Merlot. It shows more oak and structure than the Fontenil, and seems to be a potentially longer-lived cuvee, but I’m not sure it is any better than the Fontenil. It, too, should drink well for 10-15 years. (Tasted once.) These appear to be the finest wines the brilliant oenologists Dany and Michel Rolland have produced at Fontenil, their home estate.