Let’s just cut to the chase here: This is a very serious bottle of Right Bank Bordeaux at any price, but especially at this price. Sometimes, a single whiff of a wine is enough to captivate me, and that was most certainly the case with this 2010 from Château Fonroque.
It was a standout in a wide-ranging tasting of Bordeaux wines from assorted appellations and price points, and I still have a hard time reconciling its price with its (superior) quality. No doubt the impeccably balanced, classically structured 2010 vintage played a role—a year some dubbed a “vintage of the century” even though a “vintage of the century” preceded it—but as you dig deeper into Fonroque’s story there’s another factor I can’t help but cite: the estate’s longtime commitment to biodynamic farming. Under the supervision of longtime owner Alain Moueix (whose many-tentacled family firm is Bordeaux royalty), Fonroque became certified organic in 2006 and embraced biodynamics as well, putting the estate at the forefront of sustainability in Bordeaux. Purchased in 2017 by the Guillard family, the estate is undergoing renovations and cellar updates and is poised to gain an even higher profile. Will prices follow? Probably, which only makes this ’10 that much more of a steal. Unfortunately, we were only allotted a small amount, and thus can only offer up to six bottles per customer today. Grab this before it disappears!