Chateau Fontenil 2015 Michel Rolland

Glorious aromas of cassis, dark plum and damson. Soft and rounded mouthfeel, with integrated tannins.

Originally Michel and Dany Rolland bought Chateau Fontenil as a weekend get-away from their house in bustling, downtown Bordeaux. Consequently they didn't really anticipate making wine there, but the temptation proved too hard to resist, and in doing so they've elevated the profile of Fronsac as a whole.

The 50 year old vineyards (85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon) are predominantly southfacing, at the Fronsac plateau’s highest elevation and planted on soils rich in sandstone, limestone and clay. The grapes are hand harvested at optimum ripeness and totally destemmed before being fermented in a mixture of temperature-controlled, French oak barriques and stainless steel tanks. The wine is then aged in oak (75% new) for 18 months. It is bottled unfiltered.