2025, Château de Fonbel, SAINT-ÉMILION Grand CruThis is very delicious a buy! Cool blue fruit with soft liquorice and flint aromas on the nose. Clean and juicy, this is fresh and focused with a red fruit and slightly savoury peppery spiced aspect from the 5% Carmenere in the blend. Floral, fresh but soft and almost creamy too a nice combination of fruit and acidity giving a round but comforting mouthfeel. Charming, easy to approach with harmony, still lively with a kick on the finish but settled

generous finale

54% Cabernet Franc

suave and complete

slightly tertiary black fruit and traces of clove and bay leaf

Gentle chardonnay fruit on the nose

6% Viognier

The palate is medium-bodied with finely-chiseled tannins

pear and buttery Chassagne-like overtones blossom

white pepper and thyme towards the finish

" Julia Harding MW (in reference to the previous vintage

Sleek and well framed

This is a terrific effort that may nip at the heels of the 2016