The 2020 De Fonbel is bright, punchy and bursting with fruit. Sweet floral accents lift a core of red berry fruit in a soft, caressing Saint-Émilion that will drink well pretty much right out of the gate. The 2020 is an absolute delight. I imagine this charming, mid-weight Saint-Émilion will drink well for another 10-15 years. Today, it is absolutely delicious. I especially like the energy here.

(65% M, 20% CS, 8% CF, 7% CARM)
Floral-herbal Merlot; medium-full, fresh to lively, finely tannic; an attractive sweet core of fruit, nice length to taste, classy, subtle, with a long aftertaste, too. A delicious petit bon bon. 2026–36.

The 2020 Château de Fonbel has a pretty, if light and approachable, bouquet with brambly red fruit intermixed with blackcurrant and soft floral touches. It doesn't want to make too much of a fuss. The palate is medium-bodied with gritty tannins on the entry, a little compact at the moment yet fresh with fine salinity on the finish. Enjoy over the following decade.

65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 7% Carmenère. 26 hl/ha (half the normal production). Cask sample.
Juicy and fruit-driven with considerable freshness. Red- and dark-fruit notes. Touch more concentration due to yield. Light but finely etched tannins. Simple but pleasing. (JL)65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 7% Carmenère. 26 hl/ha (half the normal production). Cask sample.
Juicy and fruit-driven with considerable freshness. Red- and dark-fruit notes. Touch more concentration due to yield. Light but finely etched tannins. Simple but pleasing. (JL)

65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 7% Carmenère. 26 hl/ha (half the normal production). Cask sample. Juicy and fruit-driven with considerable freshness. Red- and dark-fruit notes. Touch more concentration due to yield. Light but finely etched tannins. Simple but pleasing. (JL)

Tasted blind. Deepest crimson. Intensely leafy and cedary. Sweet-sour on the palate, the acid not integrated. Thick, firm tannins, dense and just a little bit sharp on the finish. (JH)