Chateau Fontesteau, Haut-Medoc

I found this a little rustic with coarse tannins and tainted by Brett. There was a strong streak of acidity and I was wondering if this was volatile. The finish was spicy and hot, so not much to praise. CHP 84 pts

2019 vintage

Perfectly serviceable and pleasant. Nothing offensive, though little that’s remarkable.

2015 vintage

plummy --- fruity-plummy on the first two days and then drier, haut-medoc plummy the next two servings some complexity, but plumminess dominated I assumed all merlot and not particularly of a dry French treatment either, more some other country ... but then was v surprised, to put it mildly, that it is like half cab and has some CF thrown in with the merlot so nothing like every other bordeaux blend of those grapes, hmm also not much like other …

2015 vintage

Medium purple with bricking, medium body, Mild aromas of funk, mild flavors of red fruit and prune, medium acid, mild tannins, medium finish, less zip on night 2, but more on night 3; disappointing

2015 vintage

Drunk over 3 hours. At first with Mike Neumeyer and Nanette at the Dana in San Diego. Pretty one-dimensional, one-trick pony type of wine, but solid and decent for the price. Has a bit of cocoa in evidence. 4-12-15-7: 88/100.

2015 vintage

Red-fruited and juicy, with medium acidity. Modest dusty tannin along with an herbaceous element add interest. Nice wine.

2015 vintage

It may have gone off

2015 vintage

Darn good juice for $19.

2015 vintage

not too impressed, somewhat subdued. nothing worth mentioning. you could do way better for less money with Chateau Noaillac 2018

2015 vintage

First taste last night w a half-hour of air was 'This is pretty immense.' It partly may have been the rare rack of lamb (dijon-soy-garlic-oo-rosemary-thyme) speaking. By meal end it seemed thinner and tending to the flat a little bit. Tonight (similarly prepared monkfish) it rounded into a classic haut-medoc, drier and more refreshing on the complex and almost deep finish than some. No grapiness or even single pronounced flavor (it's 50-50 largely). Still a bit small. I would want …

2015 vintage

One-hour splash decant. I noticed that this wine had been stored improperly for many months in the kitchen pantry rather than the cellar. It showed upon drinking. While generally consistent with my note of 1/26/2021, the wine was harsher, less harmonious and less enjoyable than my previous experiences. A good reminder of a storage lesson previously learned.

2015 vintage

Thin and fading, some life. Gets a lot better with a couple days open. Picks up viscosity and palette nuisances.

1999 vintage

Drank this 8/2021 and the wine still has tannins to give it a couple of years good life. As a Cru Bourgeois it was average, 87-88. Typical Cab-dominated Haut-Medoc, and a good match for meat courses. It felt a bit under-developed still, and the nuances were little muted - that's why the low score. I liked the style anyway and shall try another vintage of the wine.

2008 vintage

Decant… Needs an hour to breathe and show itself. Harsh 1st swallow but mellows and improves with time. Start to see more fruit aroma and flavor. Evolves in an interesting way. Raspberry, blackberry, graphite. Balanced, nice acidity, silky tannins.

2015 vintage

No contemporaneous notes. This was opened on the fly as a second red after the 1990 Leoville Las Cases virtually disappeared. Judgment reserved. Addendum: On night 2, this wine was certainly drinkable, but not that impressive.

2015 vintage

Bone dry. Cedar, cherry, raspberry on the nose. Upon tasting I got some savory notes too making the wine reasonably complex. Decent acidity too. Drinking well now - would pair beautifully with a nice steak.

2015 vintage

Just a terrific food wine. Great QPR. Well integrated, balanced. Under $20 it’s a steal.

2015 vintage

PnP, needed a little air to open up. Mostly red and blue fruit, well integrated oak and modest tannins. Pleasant now with potential upside from cellaring for a few more years. 13% abv.

2015 vintage

Colour somewhere between deep garnet / deep ruby. Smell has notable oak influence, and well ripened jammed dark fruit. Ripe flavors of blackberry, blueberry and cassis in the taste with nice oak spice. Plentiful, mellowed tannins, full body, medium acid. Very nice, and might still improve over a couple of years.

2008 vintage

Unfortunately, like the 1998 I drank three months ago, well past best.

1999 vintage

Very consistent with my notes from 11/16/2020 and 10/16/2020. In a nice place now but I think a little more improvement is yet to come. As an aside: I gave a few of these as Christmas gifts and the recipients all raved about the wine.

2015 vintage

Typical Médoc perfume, with a nice balance of fruit and cedar. Great cherry notes on the palate, with good acidity and smooth, but firm tannins. This is drinking really well now with just a bit of air but you could also pop and pour if you like a bit more firmness. Good QPR.

2015 vintage

Nose: Dark tart berries, cocoa, hint of organic earth, rose. Palate: Rock slate dominate, fruit takes a back seat to mild oak and heavy tannins (needs time to open; decant for over 2 h). Worth holding and will last for many years.

2015 vintage

Identical to my note of 10-16-2020.

2015 vintage

One-hour decant. While very similar to my notes of 11-22-2019, the wine has integrated since then. Tannins had softened and the wine was generally smoother from start to finish, hence the higher score. I do not believe the wine has reached its apogee yet (my guess is 2 more years) but it is thoroughly enjoyable now. And I intend to start drinking them. QPR is outstanding!

2015 vintage

This was a bit rustic. Had aromas of earth, blackberries, iron, coffee, cassis and plums. Its medium bodied solid and a bit four square earthy, freshly fruited, nicely oaked black and blue fruits palate has a decent middle and ends mediumish with some tannin and a bit dry. 13%. Lay down 2-4 years. Good value at 10 Euros! Needs 60-90 mins aeration.

2015 vintage

Very typical Bordeaux. Full bodied with prominent oak. Strong notes of dark berries.

2008 vintage

No decant. Still, I got classic Bordeaux aromas of black fruits, cassis, smoke, graphite, maybe a tad too woody. That blew off, though, and after 20 minutes in the glass this lovely Fontesteau yielded mouthfuls of seamless, deep, blackberry-jelly-on-poppy-and-anise-seed-toast pleasure. Not sweet or flabby, though. Balanced. Polished. Young. Long, clean finish. Held up to my pizza with sausage and anchovies. (PS: I love how French wine evolves in the glass. After an hour, I was smelling and tasting something earthy. …

2015 vintage

Disappointed. Has not developed into anything remotely special.

2015 vintage

Similar to last time.

1995 vintage

COVID-19 "Shelter-in-Place"; 3/17/2020-5/31/2020 (Redwood City, CA) : 90m air for this blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 2% Cab Franc. Deep aromas of blackcurrant, spice box, cured meat and red plum. Sily texture, medium-light body. Red fruit and earthiness on the palate, licorice in the finish, and lovely supple tannins.

2015 vintage

Modne tanniner. Solbær, noe blyant(?). Fantastisk god vin. På nytt: Usikker på lagringspotensialet, men ville dristet meg til 3-4 år.

2008 vintage

First bottle from a case to get a feel for the wine's drinking window. Two-hour decant. Wine was recommended as a great QPR wine for the cellar. As an aside, my friends and I drank many bottles of this Chateau's 1982 vintage while in law school all those years ago. According to Internet sources, the 2015 vintage is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. Wine was clear; no sediment. Spicy nose: blackcurrants, stems, violets and toast. Tannins …

2015 vintage

Mature but I think it's past its best. Very vegetal nose and the palate has little to no discernible fruit left. Almost sour.

2001 vintage

In palate there was black- and blueberries, also cherries. Need to be decanted and leave to breath at least two hours. Soft tannins, full bodied.

2008 vintage

Tasted at home with friends as part of a 6 bottle vertical tasting of Chateau Fontesteau consecutive vintages from 2001 back to 1996. Opened 20 minutes before tasting and double decanted. Appearing quite young, with a hint of ageing on the rim. Earthy nose, blackcurrant fruit. Quite fruit to start, moving to celery flavour on the finish. Short.

1999 vintage

Tasted at home with friends as part of a 6 bottle vertical tasting of Chateau Fontesteau consecutive vintages from 2001 back to 1996. Opened 20 minutes before tasting and double decanted. Bright garnet colour. Slightly earthy nose. Still has good fruit, earthy, smooth, soft tannins. Very enjoyable and popular around the table.

2001 vintage

Good, but perhaps a touch over the hill. The aromatics had flashes of really nice dried leaves, bell/jalapeno peppers, and earth. Palate was a bit flat. Half poured immediately on opening into a 375 screwcap. Similar impressions with the second half of the bottle.

1995 vintage

Coravin: Grassy nose, very vegetal palate. Flawed, I suspect. Decanted: Same as Coravin. Flawed.

2001 vintage

Decanted for an hour. Very typical Bordeaux, with cassis and a hint of barnyard and graphite on the nose. The palate is quite full-bodied, with good tannins and nice red fruit, bit of cherry on the finish. In a very nice spot now!

2008 vintage

Charming little bordeaux. Warm comforting red fruits with some spice and herbs. Quite mellow and so easy to drink

1999 vintage

This is so direct and pure Médoc. So much animating. Appealing nose with cassis, cedar, graphite, earth, little soot. The palate mirrors the notes from the nose. It's juicy. There is good structure. Tannins still alive and promising another couple of years on this level. Given the price point, a sleeper!

2008 vintage

Ok at the beginning. Light body In my case too light Beim Hollänner

1999 vintage

mooi rood licht rozig, iets geëvolueerd randje, stevige neus van hout, zeer lange afdronk, hout overheerst, beetje zuren, doet oud aan, tannines (4j)

1995 vintage

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Chateau Fontesteau, Haut-Medoc

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