Château Magrez Fombrauge is a Grand Cru Classé from the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru appellation. The 37-year-old vineyard of 1.8 hectares is planted on clay-limestone soils and molasses du fronsadais. The blend of the 2016 vintage contains 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc.
At Château Magrez Fombrauge, following some lovely hot days around May 25, a late and uneven flowering took place under cool and rainy conditions. The summer settled in early July and brought with it heat and drought, resulting in blockages in vine growth. Nevertheless the clay soils reacted very well to these climatic conditions. The rains of mid-September allowed for the ripening of the grapes to resume until the harvest.
With its beautifully intense purple color, the Château Magrez Fombrauge 2016 develops on the nose aromas of black fruits (ripe, blueberries). The Château Magrez Fombrauge 2016 displays power and is extremely concentrated. The tannins are softened and they achieve a very long finish.
The 2016 Magrez Fombrauge, a blend of 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, has a very intense, ambitious, hedonistic bouquet with blackberries, bilberry, crème de cassis and incense. It does not seem to convey a sense of place or possess the delineation and freshness of its peers, including those of Fombrauge. There is something predictable about the palate: big and bold, rich and heady, perhaps better defined than I have discerned other vintages but comparing it against the Fombrauge, it invests in decadence at the expense of detail and personality. It is a statement as much of a wine! If size matters then you will love this, although if given the option, I would choose to drink the Fombrauge.