Château de Fontenille Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux 2022
£18.75
The wine
Black cherry, bramble and sweet spice on the nose, with a rounded palate behind.
Cadillac Côtes de Bordeaux runs along the right bank of the Garonne, on slopes overlooking the river, and gives more structured reds than the flatter land inland. The Côtes appellations were grouped under one name in 2009, and they remain where serious Bordeaux can still be bought sensibly. Château de Fontenille sits beside the Abbaye de la Sauve Majeure, whose monks tended these vineyards from the eleventh century.
The producer
Château de Fontenille
View all Château de Fontenille winesChâteau de Fontenille lies in the rolling hills of the Entre-deux-Mers, the great swathe of countryside between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers. Since 1989 it has been guided by Stéphane Defraine, a Belgian vigneron who fell for this quiet corner of Bordeaux. Under his care the estate has found a clear and confident voice.
Farming here is organic, a reflection of Defraine's belief that fine wine begins in living soil. The vineyard is planted to a broad palette of grapes, red and white alike, suited to the region's clay-limestone terroir. Attention to detail runs through every parcel.
The wines are bright, honest, and beautifully drinkable. The whites sparkle with citrus and white flower, while the reds offer supple berry fruit and gentle structure. Freshness is the thread that ties the range together.
Fontenille is Bordeaux without formality: characterful, well-made, and generous at the table. It is the kind of estate that reminds drinkers how much pleasure the region's everyday wines can bring.
