2022 Bordeaux Rouge, Château de Fontenille

• Style: Modern, approachable, full-bodied
• Taste: Ripe berry, smoky structure, red-fruit immediacy with backbone
• Food: Roast dinners, beef & steak, lamb, aged cheese
• Occasion: Weeknight drinking, Sunday lunch
• Serve: 14.5% ABV, bone dry, chill and pour

In the Glass — Tasting Notes

Ruby-hued and inviting, this 2022 blend opens with immediate red-fruit appeal yet carries real backbone. The 80% Merlot delivers ripe, generous body across the palate, while 20% Cabernet Sauvignon adds structure and that distinctive smoky, cigar-box edge. At 14.5% alcohol with excellent acidity from the challenging 2022 vintage, you'll find purity and length without heaviness—a wine that drinks like something twice the price.

The Winery — Château de Fontenille

Vines have flourished here since the 13th century, with a UNESCO-protected pilgrimage route winding through the estate past the neighbouring Abbaye de la Sauve Majeure, where monks once tended these same vineyards. Stéphane Defraine acquired the property in 1989 and has steadily renovated buildings and expanded plantings across 42 hectares—30 devoted to red varieties on free-draining gravel and clay shaped by Atlantic winds. The 2022 growing season proved challenging: a mild winter, wet spring, then intense summer heat and drought tested the vines, yet the grapes responded with resilience, drawing on deep water reserves from 2021. Fruit was fermented separately in temperature-controlled stainless steel, then aged partly in French oak and partly in vats before blending, resulting in wines of considerable weight, interest and purity of fruit at this level.

At Your Table — Food Pairing & Serving

Built for roasted beef, grilled lamb, aged cheddar and blue cheese, this is a Bordeaux blend that balances character with everyday drinkability. Whether you're enjoying a casual weeknight meal or a proper Sunday lunch, the wine's refined structure stands up to dinner without demanding attention. Explore our Bordeaux selection to discover how different soils and microclimates shape the same blend in unexpected ways, or venture into our France collection for wider horizons. This is one of the finest value expressions of Merlot we've found—a genuine gateway into what makes serious French winemaking at this price point so compelling.