A brilliant deep purple, this wine develops powerful aromas of flowers, truffles and undergrowth. Fleshy and full with silky tannins and well- integrated oak, this is a classic of the appellation. The wine will be in a better harmony in two or three years.

Attributes

Origin:	France / Bordeaux / Fronsac und Canon-Fronsac
Grape variety:	Merlot, Cabernet Franc
Label:	Vegan
Drinking temperature:	16 to 18 °C
Food Pairing:	Châteaubriand, Filet Wellington, Goulash, boeuf bourguignon, Beef Stroganoff
Vinification:	fully destemmed, protein fining, fermentation in cement tank
Harvest:	hand-picking, strict selection
Maturation:	in partly new and used barriques/ Pièces
Bottling:	no filtration
Maturation duration:	12 months
Volume:	15.0 %
Note:	Contains sulphites

Grape variety

Cabernet Franc

Forefather of the Bordeaux varieties

The Cabernet Franc is one of the oldest varieties of Bordelais and a parent of three other red grapes in the Bordeaux assortment: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carmenère. It is distinguished by its complex, flavourful bouquet of raspberry, graphite, violet, liquorice and white pepper. In addition, it presents round, crisp tannins which turn out less strongly than those of Cabernet Sauvignon. While the Cabernet Franc always appears as part of a blend in Bordeaux, it is pressed alone on the Loire. The most renowned appellations are Chinon and Bourgueil. Incidentally, the Cabernet originates not in Bordeaux but in the Spanish Basque Country. Cabernet owes its name to the Latin “carbon”, meaning black.

Merlot

Everybody’s darling

Merlot is the most charming member of the Bordeaux family. It shines with rich colour, fragrant fullness, velvety tannins and sweet, plummy fruit. It even makes itself easy for the vintner, as it matures without issue in cool years as well. This is in contrast to the stricter Cabernet Sauvignon, which it complements as a blending partner. Its good qualities have made the Merlot famous worldwide. At over 100,000 hectares, it is the most-planted grape in France. It also covers large areas in California, Italy, Australia and recently in Eastern Europe. The only catch is that pure Merlot varieties rarely turn out well. Its charm is often associated with a lack of substance. Only the best specimens improve with maturity. They then develop complex notes of leather and truffles. This succeeds in the top wines from the Bordeaux appellation of Pomerol and those from Ticino, among others.

Subregion

Fronsac und Canon-Fronsac

Fronsac and Canon Fronsac: in the best company

Somewhat off the beaten track of the prestigious premier crus and new super crus, winemakers in Fronsac and Canon Fronsac produce classic, well-structured and storable Bordeaux wines with an excellent quality to price ratio. Thanks to the well-proportioned hilly terrain and the medieval estates, this is rural Bordeaux at its most beautiful.

Region

Bordeaux

Bordeaux: high prestige, high quality

With a total area of around 115,000 hectares, Bordeaux may not be France’s largest wine-growing region, but it is certainly its most prestigious. The range of wines produced here today is enormous: ranging from red everyday wines with a great relationship between price and quality to exclusive, and accordingly expensive, premier crus. Elegant white wines and noble sweet specialties round out the spectrum.

Country

France

France – Philosophy in a bottle

According to French philosophy, wine should be an expression of the soil and climate. They use the word “terroir” to describe this. Terroir makes every wine different, and many especially good. French wine is regarded worldwide as an expression of cultural perfection. The French believe that humans are responsible for the quality of the berries, the vine variety for their character, and nature for the quantity. This philosophy can be expressed succinctly as: “the truth is the vineyard, not the man.”

Rating

Parker (88-90) Points