【Cru Bourgeois】【Cru Bourgeois' top tier The ‘Supérieurs’ classification, to which only 20% of estates are admitted】
WF685A - Chateau Fonreaud 2012
Single unit price: $160@
Special offer for 6 btls: $130@
Region/Classification: France / Bordeaux / Listrac-Médoc
Grape Varieties: 52% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Merlot and 4% Petit Verdot
Alcohol Content: 13%
Volume: 750ml
Tasting Notes: Ruby red in colour, displaying aromas of blueberry and cherry alongside hints of mushroom and mineral notes. Medium-bodied with refined tannins. This wine exhibits a light-bodied style, proving more approachable when young.
Recommended decanting time: 30 minutes
Introduction: Chateau Fonreaud is situated in the Listrac-Médoc appellation of Bordeaux, France. In 2012, it secured its place on the Cru Bourgeois list published by L'Alliance des Crus Bourgeois. On 20 February 2020, Bordeaux's new Médoc Cru Bourgeois classification system came into effect, reinstating the earlier three-tier rating structure. Chateau Fonreaud was elevated to Cru Bourgeois Supérieur in 2020. The Cru Bourgeois classification process involves judges randomly selecting ‘five vintages produced by the estate over the past ten years’ for blind tasting. This assesses whether quality has improved or declined, categorising estates into three tiers based on quality. Château Fonreaud secured its place in the Cru Bourgeois Supérieur tier – an honour granted to merely 20% of estates – through its consistently elegant, refined wines with a lingering finish.
Château Fonréaud, a name steeped in legend, is a splendid château perched on the heights of the Médoc, boasting a prime geographical location. The former spelling <<Fonréaud>> was originally <<Font-réaux>>, meaning the royal fountain. Legend recounts that in the 12th century, King Henry II of England, husband to Aliénor d'Aquitaine, once paused here and found this cool spring water to quench his thirst. The vineyards occupy a privileged position on the highest point of the Médoc peninsula. Through carefully selected grape varieties, the terroir expresses its diversity and richness in the resulting wine: a rounded palate where mature tannins unfold a velvety structure. Cultivated with the highest environmental standards and meticulously vinified, this embodies the elegance and charm of the Chanfreau family.
Winemaking Process: Following harvesting, the grapes undergo sorting and destemming before entering temperature-controlled fermentation tanks. The wine is subsequently aged for 12 months in French oak barrels (33% new oak), before being bottled at the estate.
Vineyard Management: The estate's current vineyard area totals 38 hectares, with 36 hectares dedicated to red grape varieties. Of this, 52% is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% with Merlot, and 4% with Petit Verdot.
【Cru Bourgeois' top tier The ‘Supérieurs’ classification, to which only 20% of estates are admitted】
In Bordeaux, the Cru Bourgeois classification of Haut-Médoc/Médoc estates has become a mark of confidence. In 2003, the French government approved a list comprising 247 Cru Bourgeois estates, with selected properties required to pass three distinct stages of assessment! On 20 February 2020, the new Cru Bourgeois classification system for Bordeaux's Médoc region was formally implemented. The evaluation cycle shifted from annual to quinquennial. The earlier three-tier classification system was reinstated, with 14 estates achieving the highest rank of Cru Bourgeois Exceptionnel (Exceptional Cru Bourgeois), 56 estates at Cru Bourgeois Supérieur (Superior Cru Bourgeois), and 179 estates at Cru Bourgeois (Cru Bourgeois). Should no estate meet the criteria for the highest classification, that tier may remain vacant.
The Cru Bourgeois selection process comprises three key assessment criteria:
i. Verification of candidate eligibility (including facilities, winemaking capacity and a series of standards)
ii. Review of fundamental quality benchmarks (blind tasting of 16 randomly selected samples from each estate to establish the benchmark score for that year)
iii. Final independent blind tasting and scoring by a panel of six professional judges (conversation strictly prohibited during tasting): The final score for each estate's submitted wines must be ‘greater than or equal to’ the arithmetic mean of the 16 randomly selected reference wines for that year. Only then may the estate attain the Cru Bourgeois designation.
For further information on Bourgeois Superieur, please visit:
https://www.winetimehk.com/blog/posts/cru-bourgeois-cru-bourgeois-exceptionnel-cru-bourgeois-superieur
