Château du Faure Haut Normand 2018
€16.50
Official Tasting Notes:
Deep layers of red fruit with powerful yet refined tannins the 2018 vintage of Chateau du Faure Haut Normand promises to be one of the best full stop. A damp autumn followed by a long hot dry summer that lasted well into October resulted in a harvest that whilst small was beautifully rich and strong. Early barrel tastings suggested a well structured wine and the decision to put it into one year old French oak, rather than new, was taken to ensure a softer, gentler wine without too much weighty wood.
John’s View:
We are too new to be rated but neighbouring Château Fontenil who use some of our vines, and is owned and produced by our winemaker, Dany Rolland, got 93-94 from James Suckling who said: “This is so tight and polished with a degree of depth and beauty I have not seen for a while. Medium body and beautiful, silky tannins that buttress the lovely, focused fruit.” We can only hope/assume/believe/imagine that he would be equally kind about Château du Faure Haut Normand!
Any way I think this is rather lovely, it is not harsh or acidic at all, slips down very easily and has, so far, not given me a headache which suggests the tannins are friendly. I reckon it would be a perfect match for leg of lamb or roast duck. The ‘experts’ say it should be drunk at just below room temperature at 16 degrees, I hate to disagree with them but I think it is better at 18-20 but hey maybe I am wrong – try it at both and you decide.
Now under new ownership (US!), and under the watchful eyes of Dany Rolland, Château du Faure Haut Normand is primed to re-launch onto the market with its 2018 vintage.
With ambitions to produce a modern yet classic Bordeaux wine, this small but beautifully formed vineyard is the epitomy of the new wave of vineyards in Fronsac dedicated to delivering wines that honour the traditions of the ‘Tuscany of Bordeaux’.
The Merlot vines of Château du Faure Haut Normand are on a gentle slope, looking down on Pomerol and St Emilion. This magnificent setting frames an estate whose wines were once amongst the greatest of the region. Recently the vineyard has been somewhat neglected but the new owners have started a process of investment in the land and its vines. New drainage and re-profiling of the land together with a programme of re-planting to optimise quality is just the start. The goal – simply to make great wine.
The vines are managed day-to-day by Eric Soulas; an artisan with 30 plus years experience and who has a real feel for “his” vines. From pruning them throughout the year to manual harvesting across the 4 small plots down to the use of the smallest crates possible to minimise bruising, these are vines that are treated like the pedigrees they are.
A “quality comes first and last” approach from the very first buds to the start of the vinification process, to barrel stock never more than one year old, Château du Faure Haut Normand is beginning to rise from the ashes and will once again become a marker for great Fronsac wines.
| Weight | 1 kg |
|---|---|
| Vintage | 2018 |
| Grape | |
| Colour | Red |
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