 |
||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||
| Fonbadet
is made up of three distinct sections: The first, and northernmost, borders
on Mouton-Rothschild, the second, located within the Pauillac town limits,
is adjacent to Lynch-Bages, and the third, in the commune of Saint-Lambert,
adjoins chateaux Pichon-Longueville-Comtesse de Lalande and Latour. Could
a vineyard have any better references? "Our neighbours are rather
a good recommendation, don't you think?" asks Pierre Peyronie ironically,
and adds jokingly, "Our vineyards overlook those of Latour..."
The three separate parts of the estate add complexity to the wine, but, in fact, share the same main characteristics that make the soil ideal for winegrowing: deep gravelly rises with a hardpan subsoil. The latter forces the vines to sink their roots deeply into the earth. |
 |
|||||||||||||
| The
north-south sun exposure is excellent, and the proximity of the Gironde
estuary provides an ideal microclimate. Furthermore, the sloping topography
makes for perfect natural drainage...
The 20 hectare vineyard is planted with 60% Cabernet sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc. The remaining 5% is divided between Petit Verdot and Malbec. |
||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||
| The
vines are an average of nearly 60 years old. This is quite exceptional,
and is in keeping with Pierre Peyronie's philosophy. "Great wine
needs to be made from old vines... I prefer to produce less wine, but
of better quality. In fact, I have never pulled up a single plot of vines
since I have been in charge of Fonbadet, and neither did my father...
In order to keep the vineyard in good condition, we replace vines one
by one, as necessary."
Furthermore, the choice of root stock naturally tends to produce low yields, and fertilizers are used sparingly. At Fonbadet, this includes only organic fertilizers (guano, fish, ground vine cuttings, etc.) and only enough to replace those nutrients lost in the preceding growth cycle. In fact, Fonbadet is proud of having the lowest yields in Pauillac. "This is also thanks to very severe pruning. When the vines have 3 or 4 bunches of grapes, we are quite happy. In this way, we never have to resort to bunch thinning to induce concentration. In my opinion, doing so is proof of viticultural mismanagement. When vines have been thinned out, the remaining grapes simply compensate for the grapes that have been removed", comments Pierre Peyronie. As for leave thinning: "This is also a trend... In fact, if you take a close look, you will notice that vine leaves tend to cover up grape bunches to protect them during periods of extreme heat. Inversely, the leaves tend to fall away from the bunches when the temperature drops. The chief virtue of leaf thinning is not to hasten ripening, but rather to make it easier to pick the grapes. At Fonbadet, we rely only very partially on leaf thinning, a week before the harvest." |
||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||
|
Pascale PEYRONIE Pascale@chateaufonbadet.com Tel. 33 556 590 211 - Fax.33 556 592 261 |
||||||||||||||
|
Conception : |
||||||||||||||