Chateau Fonbadet Pauillac, Bordeaux, Complete Guide

Learn everything about Chateau Fonbadet, Pauillac with wine tasting notes and wine with food pairing tips. Learn the best vintages, a history of the property, information on the vineyards and winemaking. If you want to read about other important, Bordeaux Chateaux: Links to all Bordeaux Wine Producer Profiles

Chateau Fonbadet History, Overview

Chateau Fonbadet can date its creation back to the early 1800s. Like many estates, Chateau Fonbadet found the inspiration for its name from its geographical surroundings. The fon comes from fountain and the badet is from the little valley. Fonbadet can be translated into fountain of the little valley.

Chateau Fonbadet has been owned by the Peyronie family for 4 generations. The patriarch of the Peyronie family, Pierre Peyronie, was the manager of Chateau Lafite Rothschild at the time he took over Chateau Fonbadet. The Peyrone family has a long history in the Pauillac appellation.

In fact, the family can trace their roots in the Medoc all the way back to the 1700s. During the mid-1800s, Fonbadet was owned by the Clarke family, who gave their name to Chateau Clarke, which is now owned by the Rothschild family.

Close to the end of the 1800s, the Larose family, that owned Chateau Gruaud Larose in St. Julien owned Chateau Fonbadet as well. However, today Pascale Peyronie is fully in charge of the estate and the wines have never been better.

Chateau Fonbadet Vineyards, Terroir, Grapes, Winemaking

The 20-hectare vineyard of Chateau Fonbadet is planted to 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 2.5% Petit Verdot, and 2.5% Malbec.

You can divide the Chateau Fonbadet vineyard into 3 sections. The largest portion is in the north of Pauillac, where they have 13 hectares of vines. 4 hectares are situated further south, close to Chateau Pichon Baron. 3 hectares of vines are further inland, located in the center of the appellation.

The actual chateau is located off the D2, in walking distance from Chateau Lynch Bages.

The terroir is gravel and sand soils. The vines are old, with many vines at more than 50 years of age. The vineyard is planted to a vine density of 10,000 vines per hectare. They have elevated slopes that at their peak, range from 14 to 22 meters.

The vineyards are scattered in different sectors in the Pauillac appellation, with some of their vines planted in the north end of Pauillac close to Mouton Rothschild. They also have vines planted further inland, close to Chateau Lynch Bages. They also have vineyards placed closer to the southern tip of the Pauillac appellation too.

To produce the wine of Chateau Fonbadet, vinification takes place in traditional, concrete vats. Malolactic fermentation takes place in tank. The wine is aged in 30%, new, French oak barrels for close to 18 months. On average, close to 8,000 cases of Chateau Fonbadet are produced each year. There is a second wine, L’Harmonie de Fonbadet.

In 2014, Pascale Peyronie brought in Michel Rolland as their consultant to work with not only Chateau Fonbadet, but also Chateau Pauillac.

The best vintages of Chateau Fonbadet are: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010, 2009 and 2005. However, it should be noted that starting with the 2015 vintage, the quality of wine being produced at Chateau Fonbadet made a big leap forward in quality.

Chateau Pauillac

Starting with the 2015 vintage, the estate began focusing its attention on Chateau Pauillac. Chateau Pauillac comes from vines located in Saint-Lambert, in the far south of the Pauillac appellation. Pichon Baron and Chateau Latour also have vines there.

Chateau Pauillac comes from a tiny, specific 2-hectare parcel of vines that is divided into 2 blocks. The larger parcel is in St. Lambert. The smaller parcel is in the northwest of Pauillac on the Milon plateau. Due to the cooler terroir and more clay in the soils, they use that parcel for their Merlot. For Chateau Pauillac, the parcels are planted to 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot.

The wine is vinified using micro-vinification techniques, meaning that the grapes were fermented entirely in barrel. The wine is aged in 100% new, French oak barrels.

The production is quite small, as there are not much more than 300 cases being produced here each year, from a blend that is close to 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot.

When to Drink Chateau Fonbadet, Anticipated Maturity, Decanting Time

Chateau Fonbadet can be enjoyed on the young side with decanting. Young vintages can be decanted for an average of 1-2 hours, give or take. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.

Chateau Fonbadet is usually better with at least 6-8 years of bottle age. Of course, that can vary slightly, depending on the vintage character. Chateau Fonbadet offers its best drinking and should reach peak maturity between 10-18 years of age after the vintage.

Serving Chateau Fonbadet with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips

Chateau Fonbadet is best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift.

Chateau Fonbadet is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, roasted, braised, and grilled dishes. Chateau Fonbadet is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, mushrooms, and pasta.

The Peyronie family owns several other small estates in the Pauillac appellation including Haut Pauillac, Padarnac, Montgrand Milon, Tour du Milon, and as we mentioned earlier, Chateau Pauillac.

www.chateaufonbadet.com