A land, a challenge

Château Fombrauge covers a total area of 75 hectares including 58 hectares planted with vines and located in three vicinities in the Saint-Emilion appellation: Saint-Christophe des Bardes, Saint-Etienne de Lisse and Saint-Hippolyte.

The soil

Château Fombrauge is located on the extension of the plateau and limestone hills of Saint-Emilion. Its vast dimensions offer a diversity of soils and exposures, providing complexity and identity to the wine of Fombrauge.

The first line of the main plateau represents the typical relief of the vineyards of Saint Emilion where Fombrauge is located. It results from the partial erosion of Tertiary formations by the rivers surrounding it (the Dordogne, the Isle). The structure of this part is mainly composed of starfish limestone from the Tertiary period.
The southern side comprises white clay and constitutes a high-quality soil where the Tertiary formations resisted this erosion. Here you find perched limestone plateaus, surrounded by slopes of soft molasse rocks (clay mixed with limestone).

The choice of grape varieties

The vineyard is planted with 40% Semillon, 30% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sauvignon Gris. For red wine, 77% of the vines are Merlot, 14% are Cabernet Franc and 9% are Cabernet Sauvignon.
In Saint Christophe des Bardes, the soil is essentially clayey-limestone.
The second vicinity is St Etienne de Lisse, located southeast of St Christophe, with the Niort plateau, i.e. our archaeological site.
The terroir is exceptional because it is composed of starfish limestone covered by Agen molasse.
The third village is St Hippolyte where the Magrez Fombrauge cellar and our terraced vineyards can be found. The soil is predominantly clayey-stilty.
Fombrauge vines are on average 35 years old and there are 6600 stocks per hectare.
The yield ranges from 35 to 40 hl/ha for red wines, except "Magrez Fombrauge" with 25 hl/ha.
As for white wines, it is about 30hl/ha.

Training the vines

Training obeys traditional methods where all operations are done manually. We have created a kind of identity card for each plot, mentioning each one’s strengths and weaknesses, in order to produce the best possible grapes.
All stages of the work are carefully controlled: growing grass in between vigorous vines, removing secondary shoots and leaf thinning are all done to improve the quality of the grapes.
We also carry out green harvests, during which we cut away some of the clusters or parts of them to keep only the best ones and lower the yield.
Harvesting is done by hand in small crates to avoid damaging the grapes.

Vinification

For red Château Fombrauge, grape reception takes place outdoors underneath tents. The crates are unloaded on the platform that we previously saw. They are emptied on a table and sorted a first time, then a second time on a 10-metre table after destemming. All these sortings are performed to keep only the ripest, most wholesome and least damaged grapes. They are placed in vats by gravity thanks to a funnel system.
Then cold maceration starts. For this phase, we add dry ice in the vat to cool the grapes down to about 8°C. This action allows the release of primary aromas, i.e. fruit aromas, which are contained in the skin. This cold maceration lasts about 9-10 days and prevents the start of alcoholic fermentation.
To trigger fermentation, we gradually raise the temperature to 18°C, at which point the process starts. Yeast is placed in the vats to ensure its onset.
During this fermentation, hand-plunging is performed every 6 hours, even at night, for 15 days. This involves using a long stainless steel rod with a cone at the end to break the cap at the bottom of the vat. The wine thus absorbs the tannins, the secondary aromas and the colour released by the lees.
Two parts form in the vat:
- A solid part (30%) called the cap, which rises and is made of the skin and pips of the grapes.
- A liquid part, the must (70%).
What follows is the final maceration that lasts between 7 and 15 days, during which the wine absorbs the aromas of the lees. Then the wine is run-off into barrels by gravity before malolactic fermentation. This is done when the wine is sufficiently concentrated.
Pressing: Once running-off is completed, the cap is pressed. This produces the press wine that is also placed in barrels.
We separate the first juices from the last ones, and depending on their quality, we keep them or send them to the distillery.
Malolactic fermentation then begins. This natural phenomenon induced by bacteria can last from two weeks to four months and takes place at a temperature of 20°C. Malolactic fermentation, i.e. the conversion of malic acid into lactic acid, allows the wine to lose its excess acidity.
At the end of this fermentation, the wine is deemed to be “fine”.

Aging

At Château Fombrauge, we use 50% new barrels and aging lasts 18 to 20 months. We age two vintages at the same time, so we use several cellars, one of which is underground.

During aging, various operations are performed such as topping up, which is the action of filling up the barrel to offset the small part of the wine absorbed by the wood. The latter is termed the “angels' share”.
We also rack the wine, a process involving decantation and aeration in order to clarify it and remove any remaining deposits.
Then comes the blending performed in the vats just before bottling.
Bottling takes place in July. The bottles are then stored for 2 months so that the wine can settle properly.