2016 Château de Carles Fronsac

Bordeaux, France

Made with 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc, this wine from right bank appellation Fronsac (just above Pomerol) shows notes of blackcurrant, vanilla, dark cherry and spice. It shows excellent forward fruit, lovely balance and plenty of pleasurable drinkability. The château has a very long history: while its first stones were laid during the course of the Hundred Years’ War, the building took its current fortified form at the start of the 15th century, owned by the heralded De Carle family. The domain’s vineyards span some 20 hectares, around the château, in the village of Saillans and within the Fronsac appellation.