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Wine Tasting Adventure

2024 Château de Fontenille, Entre-Deux-Mers Blanc - Liberty

£14.99 GBP
£14.99 GBP

Stéphane Defraine bought Château de Fontenille in 1989 and has gradually renovated this historic estate in the Entre-Deux-Mers. Vines have been grown at the property since the 13th century, with a UNESCO-protected pilgrimage route running through the vineyards to neighbouring Abbaye de la Sauve-Majeure, whose monks tended the vines for hundreds of years.

Stéphane is hugely passionate about the Entre-Deux-Mers region and is notably president of the local ‘syndicat’, representing the interests of the AOC’s estates and growers. Château de Fontenille now comprises 63 hectares of vines divided into 67 individual plots. Planted at an elevation of 110 metres, between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers, the vineyard’s free-draining gravel and clay soils, coupled with the area's high winds, ensure healthy, balanced grapes packed with flavour at harvest.

Château de Fontenille’s Bordeaux Rouge is a classic Bordeaux blend of 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, half aged in oak barrels (one-third of which were new) and half in stainless steel tank. The unoaked Entre-Deux-Mers Blanc, made from vines with an average age of 17 years, is a blend of 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 20% Sauvignon Gris, 20% Semillon and 10% Muscadelle. It also undergoes some lees ageing to add texture and richness to the wine.

Château Fontenille’s Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux is a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot, grown on south and south-east facing slopes which benefit from maximum sunlight exposure. The final wine is aged in new oak barrels for 12 months before bottling, providing a generous, rounded texture and notes of sweet spice and cinnamon. Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux is an appellation for excellent value red wines solely made in the area around Cadillac, at the southern end of the Entre-Deux-Mers.

The Fontenille vineyards produce some of the purest wines in Bordeaux, attributed to the free-draining soils made from gravel and clay, and the high winds that reduce the disease pressure. The vineyards are situated in the Entre-Deux-Mers region, between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers. The vines have an average age of 26 years.

The 2024 growing season in Bordeaux opened with a mild, settled spring that encouraged smooth budburst and even flowering, while largely sparing the vines from significant frost risk. Early summer introduced intermittent rain and warm, humid spells that required careful vigilance against mildew, but most estates managed to stay ahead of pressure. From late July onward, the weather turned decisively more stable, bringing a stretch of warm, dry conditions that gradually intensified through August without tipping into severe heat stress. September delivered the ideal combination of sunny days and cool nights, allowing grapes to enjoy an ideal end to the ripening season.

A short pre-fermentation maceration took place for 24 hours to maximise flavour extraction from the skins. Fermentation followed at low temperatures (16 -18°C) in stainless steel tanks, lasting for seven days. The wine was left in contact with its fine lees for six months to give extra body and complexity to the blend.

This wine is light gold in colour. The nose displays bright, precise aromas of citrus fruit, white peaches and white flowers. The palate is bright with fresh acidity and a vibrant citrus fruit character which culminates in a refreshing, lingering finish.