Chateau Fombrauge

Château Fombrauge is a Saint-Émilion Grand Cru property. It is the largest Grand Cru Classé property in the appellation, with a 59-hectare (143-acre) vineyard, and like many others in the region, makes a Merlot-dominant wine.

Fombrauge, which lies four kilometers (2.4 miles) due east of Saint-Emilion town, has existed as a property since the 15th Century, with the first vines on the estate documented in 1613. The name of the château derives from Fons Brogiera, a spring surrounded by an area of heather.

It has had numerous owners over the years and, in 1999, the estate was acquired by Bordeaux-based wine businessman Bernard Magrez. It sits within a large number of Magrez properties including Pape Clément and La Tour Carnet. Famed enologist Michel Rolland acts as consultant to the estate.

The Fombrauge vineyard has diverse soils ranging from chalky clay on limestone to iron-rich deposits and molasse soils. Fombrauge also has a range of different exposures, giving a complexity of terroir which is unusual for the appellation.

The majority of the vineyard (almost 90 percent) is planted to Merlot, with Cabernet Franc around eight percent and Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon making up the remainder.

Château Fombrauge is hand-harvested in small crates and is typically cold-macerated before fermentation in oak vats (although stainless steel or concrete tanks may be used depending on the vintage or batch). The wines are then aged in vats and French oak barrels, 50 percent of which are new.

Cuvée Le Cadran de Fombrauge is the second wine, and Fombrauge also makes a Bordeaux Blanc from Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Sauvignon Gris. Fombrauge also makes a red and a white 'garage' wine under the name Château Magrez-Fombrauge.