2020 Chateau Fonbadet Pauillac

• "A Pauillac That Has Been Over-Delivering From Some Time Now" ~94 JD
• Just One Mile From the Legendary Chateau Latour
• 97 Point "Very High Quality" Vintage ~Vinous
  
• 100pt Winemaker Consultant Michel Rolland 
  
• Free Shipping on 12 or More Bottles

About the Wine

Just one mile from the legendary Chateau Latour, you’ll find Chateau Fonbadet —one of the most iconic wine regions in the world. While bottles from Latour easily go for over $1,000, Fonbadet gives you the same incredible terroir at a fraction of the price.

Pauillac is famous for producing some of the finest wines in the world, and Fonbadet is no exception. The vineyards, planted with 50-year-old vines in Pauillac’s gravel and sand soils, create wines with unmatched depth and elegance. This is prime Bordeaux terroir, producing wines that are rich, structured, and full of character.

Chateau Fonbadet has a storied history that dates back to the early 19th century when it was acquired by Pierre de Gérès de Loupes, a Knight of Malta and a Member of Parliament. Today, the Peyronie family proudly carries the torch, with Pascale Peyronie at the helm, continuing the legacy of her forebears. With deep roots in the Pauillac region, the Peyronie family has a rich history in Bordeaux winemaking.

For generations, the Peyronie family has cared for this estate, but it wasn’t until Michel Rolland, one of Bordeaux’s most celebrated winemakers, came on board in 2014 that Fonbadet truly reached its potential.

2020 was a great year for Bordeaux. Vinous Media blessed this year with a 97-point review and said, "Two thousand-twenty is an exceptional vintage for Bordeaux, certainly the best in the 2018-2020 trilogy. Quality is very, very high."

Aging: 18 months in French oak barrels.

Tasting Notes

76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot.
See Critical Reviews for detailed tasting notes.

Reviews

A Pauillac that has been over-delivering from some time now, the 2020 Château Fonbadet reveals a healthy ruby/purple hue as well as textbook aromatics of blackcurrants, cassis, graphite, tobacco, and a kiss of background oak. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it's balanced, has the vintage's straight, focused style, and enough tannins to warrant 4-6 years of bottle age. It will keep for two decades. ~94 Jeb Dunnuck

Cedar, black plums, blackberries, graphite and lemon leaves on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with firm, polished tannins. Serious and mineral yet velvety too. Refined and long. 76% cabernet sauvignon and 24% merlot. Drink from 2025. ~93 James Suckling

The 2020 Fonbadet is a soft, succulent Pauillac. Fruit and forward, but with bright acids, the 2020 has a lot to offer. I admit, I wanted a bit more complexity here, but the 2020 is nicely done and very easy to like. Red fruit, cedar and sweet pipe tobacco linger. ~93 Vinous Media

Succulent and grippy, with a cool blue fruit and chalky mineral edge, wet stones, slate and saltiness then coming through alongside blackcurrant and black cherries. This has soft muscles, gently flexing, giving a push to the fruit as well as supplying overall definition. Tannins are there but are fine and crisp. Power here, confidence as well; it's not too much with tension and focus. Pauillac-might but delicate. ~93 Decanter

One of the few independent Pauillac estates that has enough production to have visibility in the international market, and they have been focusing in recent years on really smoothing out the flavour profile and adding depth through the mid palate. Good floral edge, jasmine and raspberry leaf, alongside cassis and bilberry fruit. Plenty of appellation character, this is good stuff. 12ha, 60 year old vines, Pascale Peyronie owner and winemaker, 40% new oak. ~93 Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

Tobacco leaves, barbecue, cedar, spearmint, currants and blackberries create a nose worth putting your nose in. On the palate, the wine is fresh, supple, polished and firm, with layers of crémé de cassis, coffee bean, black cherries, plums, spice and creamy tannins. This is even better in the bottle than it was from the barrel. It can for at least 20 years, if you let it. Though I will start drinking my bottles much earlier. Drink from 2025-2045. ~93 The Wine Cellar Insider

Dark ruby, purple reflections, faint ochre brightening on the rim. Fine herbal spice, wood, notes of blackberries and cassis, soft notes of liquorice and tobacco. Juicy, sweet red cherries, lively structure, ripe tannins, mineral-salty finish, already harmonious, a versatile food wine. ~92 Falstaff

Dark garnet with a slight purple hue. Rich dark fruit and some graphite notes, a mild oakiness with fresh cassis, plum and dark fruit. Dense palate, structured with a backbone of ripe tannin, pure and vibrant dark fruit flavours, good grip and polish with a muscular long finish. ~92 Andreas Larsson

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