Chateau Pontet Fumet - St Emilion Grand Cru 2016

Saint-Emilion has a very fine reputation all over the world, due in large part to the quality of its grands crus. Only the best wines in the appellation succeed in obtaining the right to call themselves grands crus. Located in the commune of Vignonet, south of the medieval village of Saint-Emilion,Chateau Pontet-Fumet was created in 1962 by Roget Bardet. The vines grow on very gravelly soil to produce a generous, concentrated wine. Descended from a long line of winegrowers, Philippe Bardet has been committed to a policy of total respect for the environment and biological equilibrium at his estate for over fifteen years. In 2016, Chateau Pontet-fumet obtains the High Environmental Quality – HSE3 certification.   Chateau Pontet-Fumet relies on temperature-controlled fermentation and maceration to practise long, carefully-supervised extraction. A large-scale investment programme is currently under way, including ageing 100% of the wine in barrel. The duration of barrel ageing is determined by regular tasting from each barrel, and depends primarily on the potential of each vintage. The entire production is chateau-bottled.   Superb, intense, garnet-red colour, hardly showing any age at all. Powerful, complex bouquet reminiscent of very ripe black and red fruit, with an elegant hint of oak. Well-structured, full- bodied, and rich on the palate with a significant amount of smooth tannin. Candied red fruit and liquorice flavours. Long aftertaste confirming an impression of firmness, elegance, and balance, which combine to provide excellent ageing potential.