Chateau Fonplegade Fleur De Fonplegade 2010 Magnum - 1500ml  £62.00

Château Fonplégade's name (literally "fountain of plenty") was derived from the historic 13th century stone fountain that graces the estate's vineyard. It quenched the thirst of passing pilgrims for hundreds of years and continues to provide sustenance to the estate's vines in the driest vintages.

Grapevines have thrived at this exceptional site, perched on the limestone plateau that is home to Saint-Emilion's finest vineyards, since the late 1500s. In 1852, legendary wine merchant Jean-Pierre Beylot purchased the estate and built the elegant château that still stands on the property.  Enchanted by the terroir, history and grandeur of the estate, with its ancient Roman pathways and graceful vine rows, Denise and Stephen Adams acquired Château Fonplégade in 2004 and spent 15 years tirelessly revitalizing the vineyards, renovating the cellar and lovingly restoring the château. 

Château Fonplégade represents the purest and most typical expression of our terroir. Enriched with a mosaic of ideal soils and a wonderful diversity of geology and geography, our vineyard is divided into 27 parcels into 45.5 acres. These hand-farmed blocks comprise the artist's palette of our terroir, providing a wealth of flavour components for the development of our wines.

With an impeccable balance between fruit, complexity and aromatic length, this wine is characterized by a sophisticated minerality, consistent from year to year, with soft and supple tannins and a velvety texture. It is made from the estate's oldest vines, meticulously hand-farmed using organic and biodynamic practices to bring out the finest quality in each cluster. Predominantly Merlot, the blend includes just enough Cabernet Franc to imbue the wine with an elegant tannic structure.

Château Fonplégade is aged 16-20 months in 50% new French oak barrels, 30% in 1-year-old French oak barrels, 10% in egg-shaped concrete vessels and 10% in amphoras.

Vintage 2010

The sum of summer temperatures in 2010 was close to that of summer 2009 (962 degrees celsius compared to 982 degrees celsius), but decidedly chillier than those of 2005, which totalled to 1052 degrees celsius. These cool temperatures has a substantial influence on the balance of our wines, perserving a good level of acidity and attractive aromatic freshness.