Fronsac is arguably Bordeaux’s most overlooked terroir. Think of it as the "other" Castillon. Whereas Castillon spreads to the southwest of St.-Emilion, Fronsac opens to the northwest of Pomerol. This affords a cooler exposition that results in wines with a more sedate but still refined and fresh personality typically marked by gentle, chalky, threaded structures, thanks to the AOC’s clay-limestone soils.
Always an area to plumb for value, Fronsac takes on an extra layer of intrigue in 2022, as its cooler situation provided an ideal haven from the vintage’s warmth. This gentle tug of war between a cool terroir and a warm vintage means the ensuing wines have a bit more amplitude of fruit while maintaining their definition, without becoming jammy, ponderous or top-heavy.
This lineup includes the Château Moulin Haut-Laroque Fronsac 2022, the top scorer, which has dark fruit, alder and chestnut notes. Read on to get our scores and full expert tasting notes for this fantastic Bordeaux and six others.
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