Pure, dark chocolate spread, liquorice root and slate edging. Rich fruits, but with crushed mint leaves gathering pace though the palate to lift things up. Just the nose itself would keep you occupied for a good while, and on the palate it jumps out of the glass. Seriously impressive stuff, clear minerality, pulsing with life. The 2015 vintage was seen at the time as being better in St Emilion but with every year that passes it becomes more clear that 2016 is the one with real legs. One of the real bargains of the vintage also, as this is available at around £30 in bond per bottle in the UK market. 60% new oak, 30% one year and the rest in cement eggs.

96+ Medium to deep garnet-purple in color, the 2016 Fonplegade opens with a very savory nose of smoked meats, tapenade, sautéed herbs and beef drippings over a core of plum preserves, chocolate-covered cherries and cedar chest plus wafts of violets and cigars. Medium to full-bodied, the palate possesses both intensity and elegance, with the black fruit layers superbly framed by firm, fine-grained tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing long and mineral laced. - Lisa Perrotti-Brown

A very suave, modern-style St.-Emilion with fine blackberry aromas and some bitter chocolate. Excellent balance of fruit, generous velvety tannins and lively acidity on the rich palate. Long, clean and supple finish. Drink or hold.

Deep ruby-purple in color with a spicy set of aromatics, this is made even more complicated by dark cherries and plums. This wine is rich, sultry and silky, competing with, and perhaps exceeding, the very strong 2015. This is going to be a fun back-to-back vintage to compare over the next few decades. The wine was made from a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc and reached 14.2% alcohol with a pH of 3.45. Read more at:https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-tasting-note/?vintage=2016&wine=Chateau%20Fonplegade

Matching the blockbuster 2015 in quality, the 2016 Château Fonplégade is a ripe, fleshy, sexy wine that's loaded with notions of jammy blackberry, cassis, dried earth, and spice. With full-bodied richness, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a layered, fruit-forward style, it nevertheless has solid underlying structure and length, all promising a solid evolution. I’d be happy to drink bottles any time over the coming two decades or more.

(90–92) Barrel Sample. This densely concentrated wine is dark and serious, with powerful tannins. It has a bitter edge and black chocolate flavors along with dark plum-skin flavor. The structure will stand this big wine in good stead as it ages.

Delightfully fruit-filled, with warm, creamy layers of cassis, raspberry puree and plum reduction gliding through atop a velvety structure. Anise and fruitcake notes take hold on the finish, adding range and extra detail. A bit forward in style, but an echo of chalky minerality keeps this honest. Drink now through 2033. 4,000 cases made. — JM