CHÂTEAU FONBEL

The 2014 Fonbel is dark, supple and nicely balanced in the glass, with delicate fruit and a racy personality. The blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Carmenere and 5% Petit Verdot is a bit unusual, but it works nicely. Expressive blue/purplish fruit, crushed flowers, mint and violets add complexity, while firm underlying veins of tannin give the 2014 its sense of freshness and energy. Rating: 88-91 Antonio Galloni, www.vinous.com (May 2015)

The Château de Fonbel 2014 is a blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Carmenère and 5% Petit Verdot picked September 27-October 5, fermented in stainless steel and aged in 30% new barrels. It has a light but fragrant bouquet of wild strawberry and raspberry, not complex, but nicely defined. There is a little more complexity here compared to the Simard with light gravel and dried flower scents underneath the red fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, slightly grainy tannin. This is not a rich or a flamboyant de Fonbel, but it has an easy-drinking approachability, the kind of Saint Emilion that I suspect will be one that you just want to drink. Drinking range: 2017 - 2030 Rating: 88-90 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Apr 2015)

Fruity and floral, the 5% each Carmenere and Petit Verdot emphasising the fruit aspect. Palate juicy and constructed with sufficient mid-palate fruit. Drinking range: 2017 - 2024 Rating: 86 James Lawther MW, decanter.com (Apr 2015)