Chateau Fonbadet, Pauillac

Deep garnet color, balanced medium tannins and body, aromas of dark fruit, plum, spice, long smooth finish. Per label: 60% Cab Sauv 20% merlot 15% cab Franc, 5% Petit verdot & Malbec. Excellent again on this, my 3rd tasting, paired this time and very well with Chinese dishes including roasted/smoked duck and fresh bean curd with black mushrooms. Among the few reliable buys that I can find in half bottles (375mL).

2019 vintage

The wine looks garnet colored. The legs are slow. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like coffee and bark. It tastes like walnut. The body is medium/full. The wine has smooth texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has low acidity.

2019 vintage

This is drinking pretty well at the moment. The Oak is still a bit dominant, but the medium body consists of nice dark fruits, rose hip, tobacco and leather, finishing rather long. This is definetly Pauillac with a classic touch, 91 Pts Best on day 3, 92 Pts. Probably with potential for the short term.

2017 vintage

Notes of black cherry and oak. Tannins are huge. Body is medium-plus. Overall, it’s a big wine, but not very complex.

2019 vintage

Superb. Black fruit, plum, leather, oak, earthy notes. Very smooth after being left to aerate in the glass for an hour. Paired with roast duck with port wine sauce and fricasee salad with shallots, grapes & bleu cheese. Per label: 60% Cab Sauv 20% Merlot 15% CB Franc 5% Petit Verdot & Malbec

2019 vintage

Old world Mid to full body Not dry Cuts through meat Cherry Tabaco notes

2019 vintage

Really enjoyed

2019 vintage

Opens up well in the bottle, scents of cherry, mint and cedar, medium bodied, fine tannin structure, hints of black cherry, herbs, granite and leather on the palate, quite classy and equipped for both the casual and serious consumer, really enjoyed with braised beef short ribs, it will age and improve with time

2019 vintage

"International style" Bordeaux here; but a little more even handed than some examples. It's a Rolland wine, though I'm not sure of his level of involvement. Hardly my preferred style of Bordeaux, but least this has astringnecy and graphite on it. Dust, tobacco, graphite, cedar wood, ripe plums, ripe black currants and cinnamon on the nose. Everything smells a little caramelized, with the slightest hint of green bell pepper undeaneath it all. Medium + intensity of aromas. The palate opens …

2017 vintage

Medium reddish-purple garnet in color; almost opaque. Full, forward & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of cherries, cassis & blackberries with earthy/dusty & herbal overtones, some floral notes, herbs, pepper, spices, minerals, mint & a slight hint of cedar in the background. Medium bodied with a good concentration of balanced & smooth textured, ripe fruit flavors of cherries, blueberries & plums with herbs, minerals, spices & a hint of oak/vanilla. Lingering finish. Quite accessible at present with decanting & …

2019 vintage

Nose: Cassis, sweet leather caked in mud, dark blackberries, orange zest. Palate: Rich and ripe blackberries balanced with nice acidity; plush tannins that are surprisingly soft given its youth and "mashbill" of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot; theres a sweet-and-sour like tanginess to the wine that is a bit distracting, something like red plums dipped lightly in sour cream; warming and subtle smokiness on the finish.

2019 vintage

Crushed stones, terroir, and black fruits. Smooth tannins and long finish. Strong vanilla undertone.

2017 vintage

This bottle has everything I look for in a young left bank Bordeaux. Deep purple core. Aromatic cassis, sourdough, cut cedar, green tobacco, and a hint of something like ginger or pine resin. Fresh and vibrant on the palate, boasting intense blackberry and black currant. The fruit is ripe, but barely so, so you get that wonderful burst of juicy acidity in the mouth. The tannins are pliant and the finish goes on and on. It was a bargain at …

2017 vintage

Not an enjoyable wine at all. Luckily I could send them back and get a refund. ☹️

2019 vintage

Dark black currants, espresso, smoke, tobacco leaf, cocoa and flower aromatics crowd into the perfume. On the palate the wine has depth, weight and richness, with layers of soft, vibrant, silky, dark, chewy, sweet red berries along with a touch of salt to the tannins and a hint of chocolate in the finish. I do not think you can find a better value in Pauillac today! Drink from 2025-2044.

2019 vintage

91 vvPunkte (13.5%, verkostet im Dezember 2021 in Windisch). Dichtes Rubinrot. Die Nase ist tiefgründig, komplex, sehr Pauillac, Cassis, Kirschen, würzige Noten, mit etwas Luft auch reife Waldbeeren, ein Hauch Sahne, feiner Duft. Der Gaumen ist druckvoll, zeigt Konzetration, eine knackige, dichte Frucht und einiges an Schmelz, die Frucht ist umgarnt von einer markanten Tanninstruktur, dazu kommt ein top Säure. Mit nur 13.5% Alkohol und einem balancierten, langen Abgang ist dies ein Pauillac, der für überschaubares Geld, viel Charakter zeigt. …

2019 vintage

Couldn't locate a 2015 on the racks, so took the 2017. Opened and decanted it, but dinner plans changed and we weren't able to get back to it until the following night. Much better than the sip the previous night at decant. We actually ended up finishing most of it on the third day. It was very good. Nothing memorable, but it's a solid $30 bottle.

2017 vintage

darker fruits, oaky spices, and some gravelly minerals. A bit thin on midpalate. Kept feeling like it was going to come around but never did. Decanted for 60 minutes and then followed over the next 4 hours. shut down maybe?

2017 vintage

Quite respectable for the price. Not a ton of character, but for a $20ish bottle its fine for a weeknight.

2017 vintage

Misentered

2017 vintage

Very nice, refreshing bouquet. Dark red nearly black in the glass. Dark fruit flavors of blackberry and blueberry. Grippy tannins provide good structure with ample acidity. The medium+ finish is velvety and smooth. Agree with others regarding the oak-forward style of the wine.

2017 vintage

This is an excellent wine and I agree with the previous notes. The wine developed with much more expressive fruits, herbal and earthy undertones after 3 days open - it was absolutely delightful at that point. Certainly needs a decant or minimal aeration to start to access some of what it has to offer after the cork is popped. Very good QPR.

2017 vintage

Fruity nose that I first though Washington cab but the palate was different. Black and blue Berry with menthol and cedar. Tannins suggest this has a plenty of time to evolve but certainly good now.

2017 vintage

I really like this wine but needs a good decant. Full bodied, deep berry flavor with some graphite and a hint of. . mint?

2017 vintage

Really really good. Medium to dark ruby with some noticeable lighting at the edge, more than what such a young wine would suggest. Very complex nose. Showing Some heavy oak but it is expressed nicely. Cherries, blackberries, purple flowers, herbs, leather, licorice, smoke and some gasoline. The palate was surprisingly smooth and well balanced. Really regretting not buying more. This is a great approachable user friendly daily drinker.

2017 vintage

Chocolate covered blackberry and cassis is the top note to the perfume here. Full-bodied, chunky, herbal, fresh and spicy, with juicy berries, chewy tannins and a fruity finish. Give it 7-9 years in the cellar before pulling a cork. The wine blends 70% Cabernet Sauvignon with 30% Merlot. 91-93 Pts

2019 vintage

N: Feine Kirschfrucht, präsente Brombeertöne, Zedernholz G: Brombeere auch hier präsent, satte und frische Frucht, mittlerer bis voller Körper. Abgang sehr trocken/herb, bereichert von Veilchentönen.

2019 vintage

Cedar, tobacco and crisp, bright, fresh red fruits lead off the nose. Medium bodied, soft textured, forward and easy drinking, this wine has charisma and early drinkability.

2017 vintage

Probably well past its prime - not much left except for some cocoa. On day 2, some Bordeaux tipicity arrives. Drinkable but why waste your braincells on this.

1993 vintage

A little barnyard in the bouquet. Full bodied, soft, round and very juicy. The 1988 has firm and a bit harsh tannin. Wait for at least 2 years.

1988 vintage

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Chateau Fonbadet, Pauillac

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