A young red with depth and firmness. The ultra fine tannins are firm and formed, already giving this wine impressive energy.

The 2020 Fonbadet opens with a burst of inky dark fruit, spice, leather and licorice. That initial exuberance doesn’t totally carry through to the palate, where the wine feels a bit austere. It will be interesting to see if the 2020 fleshes out a bit more during élevage. I like the energy, but the wine feels a bit compact.

vinous.com

Juicy, crisp and fresh with firm tannins, medium-body and loads of sweet crémé de cassis, flowers, tobacco and coffee bean notes for you to enjoy. The wine is complex, and bright, with a lingering, red currant finish. Give it 5 years of age or more if can you can wait and enjoy it over the next 15-20 years with ease. 91-93

Always a terrific wine, especially over the past seven to eight years, the 2020 Château Fonbadet offers a rich, mouth-filling, medium to full-bodied style delivering lots of classic darker currants fruit, a touch of flowers and floral nuances, plenty of background oak, and wonderful purity of fruit. I love its tannins. This is unquestionably going to be an outstanding Pauillac that will benefit from 4-5 years of bottle age and have 20-25 years of overall longevity.

The 2020 Fonbadet has a fresh, vibrant bouquet of blackberry, cedar and light minty aromas, all quite gentle, and a light seaweed scent that emerges with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grained tannins, a little oaky on the entry but that will be integrated with time. Touches of dark chocolate and vanilla appear toward the finish. This is a fine Fonbadet, but they need to watch that level of new oak to check it does not impede the fruit once in bottle. -vinous.com

Drink Date
2023 - 2035

Reviewed by Lisa Perrotti-Brown

Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2020 Fonbadet opens with fragrant notes of kirsch, black raspberries and red roses, plus suggestions of tobacco leaf, graphite and redcurrant jelly, plus a hint of bay leaves. The medium-bodied palate is elegant and refreshing, offering a solid backbone of firm, chewy tannins, finishing savory.

75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot. Picked 16 September to 2 October. Aged for 16 to 18 months in barrels (40% new). Cask sample taken 12 April.
Blackish purple. Very opulent nose but it still manages to be refreshing. There may be a hint of spicy oak here but it's reasonably classic red bordeaux with an overlay of a particularly warm summer. Dry but not drying finish. This may eventually please the budget-conscious.