Château de Fonbel, St Emilion, 2024
Fonbel 2024 opens with a delightful wild perfume, exuding a sense of natural charm. The palate is juicy and inviting, offering a straightforward yet pleasing experience. This Vauthier wine will offer plenty of simple, early drinking pleasure.
critic reviews
Deep garnet-purple colored. Needs a little swirling to coax out notes of raspberries and juicy strawberries, plus suggestions of dried herbs, damp soil, and pencil lead. The medium-bodied palate is lightly chewy and refreshing with an earthy finish.
The 2024 Château de Fonbel was picked from September 20 to October 5, with 30% raised in used barrel and the rest in tank. This has a more floral bouquet compared to the Simard and Haut-Simard, with finely delineated blackcurrant and raspberry fruit aromas mixed with touches of white flowers. The palate is medium-bodied with a saline entry. It's edgier and a little more angular than the aforementioned Saint-Émilions with a bit more backbone on the finish. I like the freshness here. It's simple but nicely focused.
Soft, fragrant, charming. Crisp, bright, vivid plum fruit that has the most grip of the three Vauthier estates on the southern slopes of St Emilion. Harvest 20 September to 5 October. 1/3 in oak, Philippe Baillarguet cellar master. Harvest 20 September to 5 October. 1/3 in oak.
The 2024 Fonbel offers up notes of plums, dark berries and bay leaf, followed by a medium-bodied, taut and rather structured palate. The estate's Carmenere vines frosted, so they only represent 4% of the blend this year.