As we have written previously, wine tasting in Bordeaux seems more than a little formal and stuffy for those of us used to visiting wineries in the U.S. In that region of Wine Country, Saint-Émilion offers visitors the most relaxed experience. The town itself is lively and welcoming and there are many wineries to visit without an appointment. Nonetheless, if you want to try the wines of the top châteaux, you’ll need an appointment.
Photo courtesy of Wine.com.
One we have enjoyed is Château Fonplégade (www.fonplegade.com). Its wines are grand cru classé. That classé is important. Any Saint-Émilion vineyard can call itself grand cru, but the classé must be awarded by the local wine authorities. [The top top wines of Saint-Émilion are called premier grand cru classé.] Of course, for a visitor, the only important thing is to taste good wine, and we have had that experience at Château Fonplégade.
Interestingly, it is owned and operated by American wine makers, Denise and Stephen Adams. They also make ADAMVS, on Napa Valley’s Howell Mountain. It seems that Denise is the one most actively involved at Château Fonplégade. The couple haven’t Napafied Château Fonplégade but they have raised the quality of the wine enough to obtain the cherished classé.
Unlike what we generally find in California, the French vineyard makes only two wines: the namesake Château Fonplégade and a lesser second label, Fleur de Fonplégade. (The couple also own the Château l’Enclos in Pomerol.) And of course being from Saint-Émilion, the wines are a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Another aspect that distinguishes Château Fonplégade is that their wines are made biodynamically, a trend becoming quite common in France (and in California too, for that matter.)
The cellars at Château Fonplégade. Photo courtesy of The Wine Cellar Insider.
Bordeaux rules require that all the grapes of any vineyard must come from the contiguous estate surrounding the château. Therefore, the château itself is surrounded by vines, which seem to extend forever. Some châteaux may be no more that humble farmhouses, but in Fonplégade’s case the building is an elegant 19th century structure, intended to project the wealth and taste of its owners. That has always been the case, but the previous owners had let it run down a bit. The Adams’ invested in upgrading not only the château wine making facilities and the cellars.
Also under the previous regime, Fonplégade welcomed tour groups. That is no longer the case. You must have an appointment and the visits are, in the winery’s term, intimate. That shouldn’t scare away American visitors. We have met Denise Adams and she is a very easy-to-talk-to person. The team at Fonplégade takes on that personality.
As to the word: Fonplégade means “fountain of plenty”. There is a 13th century fountain on the property that inspired the name. It is still in use to moisten the vineyard in dry years.