Wine Details

Château Fontesteau
Cru Bourgeois
France • Bordeaux • Haut-Médoc
2004
25.11.05
0
20.00
Cuvée
2003
82
Jeff Tolmie - 25.11.2005
Dark Ruby Red at the center but medium opacity at the rim. Quite strong fruit. Earthy. Leder, vanilla. Strong bitter tannins. High in acid. Watery. long & tannic. Poor fruit. can be kept but fairly unimpressive.
25.11.05
0
17.50
Cuvée
2002
82
Jeff Tolmie - 25.11.2005
Dark ruby red. Slightly darker than the 2003. closed, earthy. Subdued fruits. Also closed frUit on the palate.very earthy. Slight vegetative notes. More fruit than 2001 and 2003. Good puckers tannins. Harvest 22 Sep - mid Oct. unbalanced at the moment with little fruit to balance the tannins.

Vintage Notes:
David Peppercorn: Poor flowering due to cold wet conditions. Serious Coulure and millerandage especially Merlot. Wines of mixed qualitity. Best are left bank Cab Sav. Concentrated, small crop, north Medoc. Exceptional wines with record tannic levels.
Jancis Robinson: Smallish crop dogged by an uneven flowering and a grey humid summer which meant uneven ripeness in far from uniform healthy grapes.
25.11.05
0
17.50
Cuvée
2001
82
Jeff Tolmie - 25.11.2005
Also watery. Less tannin than the 2002 & 2003. Similar to the 2003. Mild earthy notes again. Leather & vanilla again. Consistent with 2002 & 2003. Leather. wet grass. Low fruits again. More intense than 2003. Powdery tannins. Low acid Fruit is ripe. Bitter long aftertaste.

Vintage Notes:
David Peppercorn: High acidity in cabernets. Uneven quality but more fullness and concentration than 99 but less power than 2000. Elegance and style. High tannin levels. Fine aromatic and fruit character.
Jancis Robinson: Very varied quality demanded a gentle hand in the cellar. Some very good wines, others tart and tough
25.11.05
0
17.50
Cuvée
2000
84
Jeff Tolmie - 25.11.2005
Dark ruby red. Good consistency to the rim. Delicate ripe dark berries. Good oak notes. Subtle peppery leather. Nicely balanced, with burnt berries. Tannins & acid are already subsiding. Medium length.Maybe some lingering tannins. By for the best so far. Nicely balanced, although this chateau his a problem with fruit intensity.

Vintage Notes:
David Peppercorn: David Peppercorn: Cab Sav of optimal ripeness and exceptional quality.
Jancis Robinson: Nature's benevolence coincided with the commercial imperative to have a good vintage in this exceptional year. Great consistency and balance.
25.11.05
0
18.50
Cuvée
1999
82
Jeff Tolmie - 25.11.2005
Dark red with the first hint of brown. Really nice aromas of fruit, flowers,almost Pineapple . Only the merest hint of the earthiness seen in young vintages. Toasted oak & ripe fruit. very little tannin & acid remaining. short Finish. smooth & easy drinking. As it airs it lengthens an the tannins start to appear. Overall a nice Vintage. The most interesting wine so far.

Vintage Notes:
David Peppercorn: Fruitier than 98. Merlot ripe picked in rain. CabSav picked in dry weather. Record crop. Wide range of qualities. Light and luscious.
Jancis Robinson: Good potential created almost exclusively by three weeks of sunshine from late August was diluted by rain at farvest time. Fairly early maturing wines with better potential on the left bank.
25.11.05
0
16.90
Cuvée
1998
84
Jeff Tolmie - 25.11.2005
Better than the 2000. Medium Red/ Brown. Earthy again.subtle dark fruits. vanilla & a touch of licorice. Much better toasted ripe fruit. tannins are hanging in there,Smooth. Puckery astringent with the fruit remaining long on the palate.

Vintage Notes:
David Peppercorn: Exceptional heat in August. Cab Sav of optimal ripeness and exceptional quality.
Jancis Robinson: A very hot August was followed by rain during harvest and most of the of the best results are on the right bank.
25.11.05
0
16.90
Cuvée
1997
82
Jeff Tolmie - 25.11.2005
Drink novo. Unimpressive but still ok. You can get much better wines for this price. Medium Red Brown. Mild alcoholic notes. Closed. Spicy fruit. Mild & watery. Low fruit. still quite tanic.Earthy. Good length with good tannins.

Vintage Notes:
David Peppercorn: Difficult vintage due to unusual weather. Delicious early drinking wines.
Jancis Robinson: Initially overpriced relatively light wines for pleasant early drinking.
25.11.05
0
17.50
Cuvée
1996
84
Jeff Tolmie - 25.11.2005
Medium Red Brown. A touch clearer than the 1997. Pleasant fruits, ripe. Notes of licorice & spice. Ripe toasted fruits, good oak.Full Bodied. Strong bitter & long. Lingoig tannins. Quite nice. Has aging potential.

Vintage Notes:
David Peppercorn: Exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon, higher in Sugar.
Jancis Robinson: Some very great, very classical wines that will repay keeping
25.11.05
0
20.90
Cuvée
1995
84
Jeff Tolmie - 25.11.2005
Medium Red Brown, but noticeably darker than both the 96 and 97. Subdued fruit. Licorice & chocolate.still Closed. Good Fruit. Burnt Cherries. Long & tannic. Bitter fruity aftertaste. Good Potential. Nice wine. One of the best tasted. it can be drunk now or kept. not worth 24.50 though.

Vintage Notes:
David Peppercorn: Powerfully structured wines have in general not evolved as well as expected. They tend to be rather chunky and graceless and are evolving more slowly than the '96s.
Jancis Robinson: Hot dry summer resulted in ripe wines that have been easy to enjoy even in youth. Generous crop levels, best in Pomerol and Pauillac.
25.11.05
0
24.50
Cuvée
Notes
Alcohol: 13%
Ref: 189