CHÂTEAU FONROQUE GRAND CRU CLASSÉ IN SAINT-EMILION

The inauguration of the new refined cellars with mineral charm, signed by the Nantes architect office, Gimbert and the designer Comy, at Château Fonroque Grand Cru Classé of Saint-Emilion, was held on September 7th in the evening with an outdoor cocktail in the park and inside halls, a dinner seated around tables with an astral theme.

Some 150 to 200 people were invited on this occasion to come, appreciate and contemplate the biodynamic wines and the building creation supervised by Alain Moueix, the former owner of the premises, but still the director. Château Fonroque has been in the hands of the Guillard family’s insurers since this summer.

This 17.5 ha estate is one of the pioneers in the region to believe in biodynamics since its official listing in 2002.

As Alain quotes: “The choice of biodynamics was a transgression, an adventure nourished by experimentation, study and intuition. Today that’s serene evidence “.

Then going further, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) quoted: « It is absolutely impossible to understand the life of the plant, if we do not take into account the fact that everything on earth is not in truth say that the reflection of what is happening in the cosmos”.

This is exactly the direction chosen by Alain, and that evening he decided to share his great passion for wine linked to the stars with us, from the cocktail all in light with the splendid Champagne « Entre Ciel et Terre » Extra-Brut 2014 blend from Françoise Bedel, the great mineral Sauvignon from Sancerre with the 2020 “Les Romains” cuvée from Domaine Vacheron, then the elegant Château Fonroque 2012. A cuisine signed by the young Chef Chloé Charles, with original flavors combined with delicate bites paired with wines on the themes of water, air, fire, earth with for example the “calisson” of oysters with celery and samphire or the surprising transparency of orange blossom.

Finally, we crossed the vat room, whose verticality was enhanced by noble materials that were little transformed, where the natural overhead lighting is in direct contact with the cosmos.

An underground sound creation in La 432, the frequency of propagation of sound waves in the water of our body, is broadcast by the plastic artist synesthete Eddie Ladoire to come and marry in emulsion to the tannic structure of the wines of the Château.

The dinner chiseled by the Chef, attentive to the vintage tasters, delighted us with the accuracy of her pairings. Then the stuffed poultry from La Ferme de Vertessec, the risotto of potatoes and juice, the pickles of mustard and the ragout of thigh with mushrooms in chard leaves, the root vegetables, embrace in resonance the open empyreumatic bouquet of great freshness in palate, from the red Château Fonroque 1998 vintage served in magnums.

The Comté foam with roasted hazelnuts and Jamaican pepper mirrors the expressive palate of the 2006 vintage.

Verjuice cream and pistachio mousse, cocoa nib streusel, with a tangy condiment with fresh rosemary grapes, echo the olfactory and gustatory liveliness of the well-mastered 2018 vintage, and my favorite of the series.

Some oenology personalities or owners of Châteaux in the region, were kind enough to let themselves be charmed by a photo, some of which are published here.

A feeling of benevolence generally reigned throughout the event, which turned out to be energizing.

-Publication S.I magazine N°177 December 2022-

I chose the 2018 vintage to create a contemporary Wine4Melomanes music and wine pairing from the same vintage, in order to highlight its complexity, sensuality, liveliness and harmony.

This young and modern wine, airy, deep, designed with a sensitivity combined with the stars that surround us, guides me towards this mineral and resonant composition of 2018:

GoGo Penguin « Raven »