About the Wine

Bernard Magrez owns many of Bordeaux's most iconic estates including Château Pape Clément an exceptional Grand Cru Classé in Graves from Pessac-Léognan. Celebrated for his attention to detail in the vineyard and constant achievement of excellence in the winery which translates into award-winning wines for every occasion.

“My life has been forty years of passion for vines and wine. Now I want to pass on this sense of excellence. I’m a vintner, with four Grand Cru Classés estates in Bordeaux, a handful of exquisite vineyards in the south, and wineries in eight other countries around the world, and through them, I can create real emotions and wonder. This is what I’ve always done, and what I’ll always do.” ~Bernard Magrez

Bernard Magrez was born in Bordeaux in 1936 and left school at 16 to start trading wines. In 1961, at 25 years old, Bernard started his own company dedicated to whiskey and Port. In the late ’70s, he went back to his roots in wine, and in the 1980s, he acquired Château Pape Clément, a famous Grand Cru Classé of Graves for thirty years. Next, he purchased Château Fombrauge, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé, Château La Tour Carnet, Médoc Grand Cru Classé in 1855, and then, among eighteen other renowned Bordeaux estates, Clos Haut Paraguay, Premier Grand Cru Classé of Sauternes. His next acquisitions took place in eight different countries: Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, and the United States. In total, he owns 43 properties and more than 1,000 hectares of vineyards.

Chateau Magrez Fombrauge is a micro-vineyard in the Right Bank of only 1.8 hectares. Yields are stringently low to maintain the highest quality. Only 3000 bottles are produced. The vineyard is located on the archaeological site called Niord, dating back to the 5th century B.C, where a remarkably well-preserved skeleton over 2,500 years old was found.The vines are 60-75 years old.

Aging: 18 months in 100% new French oak and 10% in terracotta jar

Tasting Notes: 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Franc. Blackberry and black cherry fruit dominates this full-bodied, muscular wine. Black tea, leather, and vanilla mingle in the mouth. This wine is delicious now and will be a joy to age gracefully through 2039.

Reviews

I continue to love this wine, and the 2019 Château Magrez Fombrauge is one seriously good, opulent, super rich 2019 that does everything right. Loads of crème de cassis, blueberries, tobacco leaf, candied violets, and chocolate all soar from the glass. Deep, full-bodied, and just beautifully balanced on the palate, it's another stunner in the making. ~96-99 Jeb Dunnuck.

From a small parcel of an exceptional vineyard within the larger Fombrauge estate, this wine is luscious and rich in juicy black fruit and supported by firm tannins. It definitely has great potential to age further with its richness and structure. ~95 Wine Enthusiast.

Lots of intense blackberries, dark chocolate, toasted oak and black olives follow through to a full-bodied palate with layers of pretty fruit and plush tannins. Yet, it shows tension and focus. Richer style for 2019, but I like its lavish character. Needs four or five years to come together even more. ~95 James Suckling.  

Dark ruby ​​garnet, opaque core, violet reflections, delicate edge lighting. Delicate herbal spices, black wild berry confit, blackberries, a hint of nougat, delicately like prunes. Medium complexity, a hint of chocolate, ripe tannins, extract-sweet finish, shows good length, and has the appropriate aging potential. ~93 Falstaff.

Very deep purple-black colored, the 2019 Magrez Fombrauge charges out of the gates with exuberant notions of blueberry pie, Black Forest cake and licorice plus hints of spice cake, clove oil and eucalyptus. The medium-bodied palate is jam-packed with ripe, concentrated black and blue fruit preserves, supported by ripe, rounded tannins and plenty of freshness, finishing long with a minty kick. ~91-93 Robert Parker.

Unctuous and rich in the glass, the 2019 Magrez-Fombrauge is a beautiful, vivid wine. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, new leather, licorice, and spice add to a feeling of flamboyance, but I also see less weight than in the recent past. ~91-93 Vinous Media.

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