Château Fonroque 2011 - Grand Cru Classé BIO

Bettane & Desseauve

About the wine:

Smooth, salty, and even mineral-like, but lacking body compared to its robust tannic structure.

About the estate:

Committed to organic viticulture, this château produces wines with a delicate, slender structure and a balance that is always rooted in freshness.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the estate:

This is rare enough among Bordeaux grands crus to be worth noting: this estate is farmed organically (certified in 2006) and biodynamically (2008). Alain Moueix, a native of Corrèze like many winemakers based in the Libourne region, has owned it since 2001.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

This glass of wine, with its hues of purple, ruby, and plum, offers an enticing blend of black cherry, blackcurrant, spice, and earthy notes. Medium-bodied, pure, and flavorful with supple tannins, this wine—a gift from a biodynamically farmed vineyard—displays beautiful purity and depth. It should age gracefully for 10–15 years.

About the estate:

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the wine:

The 2011 vintage naturally has more pronounced tannins, yet it still retains the smooth, elegant, and natural profile that the owner intended.

About the estate:

Château Fonroque is the Moueix family’s ancestral home in Saint-Émilion, acquired in 1931 by Jean and Adèle, the great-grandparents of Alain Moueix, who took over management of the family estate in 2001. Each generation has left its mark. Whatever the future holds for the château, in a local context where family-owned estates are becoming increasingly rare, it can be said that the current generation has remained true to tradition. A trained agricultural engineer and oenologist, Alain Moueix began considering the transition to organic farming as early as 2002. Certification inspections began in 2003. By 2005, a logical progression of all the steps taken led the entire vineyard to adopt biodynamic farming. The 17.6 hectares of contiguous land that make up the vineyard are spread across a plateau and a west-facing hillside, northwest of the village of Saint-Emilion. “The best plots in the upper part of the estate were preserved by previous generations,” explains Alain Moueix. “It’s always a difficult decision to pull up old vines, since they are the foundation of your great wine. When I began pulling them up in 2001, I had my doubts. Today, I have no regrets. “Being deprived of their yield penalized me for five years, but today I’m reaping all the benefits.”