Chateau Fontesteau Haut-Medoc

Tucked away down a long, winding drive is Chateau Fontesteau. Built in 1277 the chateau is situated in the very heart of the Haut-Medoc. A place of historic interest, it is known that King Francois 1st of France stayed there and a crowned salamander, the king’s symbol, decorates the front door.

Today the house is surrounded by 34 hectares of vineyards and owner Joachim ImmeInkemper, has invested heavily in both the restoration of the chateau and the development of the winemaking facilities. In 1997 a temperature controlled cellar was built to house the increasing numbers of new oak barrels whilst Dominique Fouin makes the most of the modern winemaking equipment including micro-oxygenation.

The dominant grape in the blend is Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc and Merlot.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

The Chateau is classified as Cru Bourgois Superieur winery and is located in the heart of the Medoc. It stands for outstanding Bordeaux wines that mature for years in the cellars of the house. Of the 100 hectares of cultivated land, about 35 hectares belong to the winery. These are cultivated by Dominique Fouin.

Contrary to what the name suggests, the cellar is above ground, just like the traditional chais in Bordeaux. The special construction guarantees the best conditions for ageing throughout the year. The grapes are selected, pressed and fermented separately by grape variety. This guarantees that the typical characteristics of the grape variety and the character of the wine are preserved during the process. Afterwards the wine stays in the tanks for another 2-3 weeks to get colour and tannins. The wine is tasted daily to ensure that the optimal time for further processing is chosen. The young wine is then allowed to mature for another 12 months in barriques, where the fruit aromas combine with the vanilla aromas of the toasted wooden barrel. It is also recommended that the classified red wines be kept in bottles for another year or two until they reach their final drinking maturity.

Given the perfect health of the crop, no sulphites were added after draining the grapes and we performed all vinification with no added sulphur. The juice was very rich in sugar and marvellously fruity, offering a nice balancing acidity. The natural extractability of the polyphenols meant a long maceration time was not necessary. The final blend was selected on 10th January 2017.

This 2016 boasts a very rich garnet colour. The nose is expressive, opening onto jammy aromas of red fruit such as cherry and strawberry. The palate is ample and full-bodied with a tense, fresh structure. The tannins are rich and tasty, conferring flavour and length to the wine. This is a remarkably balanced vintage with a real force of character.

Try with roast partridge, beef (or nut, lentil and mushroom) wellington with mushroom duxelles, beetroot risotto, confits de canard with green salad & dauphinoise potatoes or beef stew and dumplings