Château Puy Guilhem Fronsac 2015
£23.45
The wine
A mature and traditionally styled Bordeaux showing ripe and fleshy black berried fruits with a lovely savoury and earthy finish.
Fronsac lies on the right bank of the Dordogne just west of Pomerol, and was considered the finest wine of Bordeaux in the eighteenth century before Médoc drainage and the 1855 classification moved prestige to the Left Bank. Clay over limestone with an iron-rich molasse suits Merlot, and 2015 was among the finest recent vintages on the right bank. Ten years on, it is drinking now.
The producer
Château Puy Guilhem
View all Château Puy Guilhem winesChâteau Puy Guilhem sits on the plateau above Fronsac, one of Bordeaux's oldest and least fashionable appellations, and one of its better-value corners.
Fronsac lies on the right bank of the Dordogne, just west of Pomerol, and it was considered the finest wine of Bordeaux in the eighteenth century, before Medoc drainage and the Left Bank classification of 1855 changed where prestige lay. The soils are clay over limestone with a distinctive iron-rich molasse, and the wines are Merlot-led with Cabernet Franc in support.
What that gives is a Bordeaux of real structure and savour at a fraction of Pomerol prices, and one that ages considerably longer than its reputation suggests. Fronsac remains one of the few places in Bordeaux where a serious wine can still be bought without a serious price.
