Château Fonréaud

The name Fonréaud that used to be spelt “Font Reaux” means “Royal Spring”. According to the legend, a king of England stopped on this spot in the XIth century to quench his thirst at a spring that he found there. But perhaps the name is owed simply to the existence of a pleasant cold-water spring in the park. Henri Le Blanc de Mauvesin built the chateau in 1855 according to plans drawn by the architect Garros. It will charm you by the elegance of its architecture. Leo Chanfreau bought the estate in 1962. Today Jean and Marie-Helene Chanfreau and Caroline Chanfreau-Philippon are carrying on his work. Year after year, the vineyard has been improved: the Cabernet Sauvignon produces a very classical wine, the hint of Petit Verdot adds spicy notes and intensifies the fruity taste of the Merlot. This great wine, Crus Bourgeois Supérieur and member of the prestigious Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux, has a true character.

Created at the beginning of the 20th century by the Vicomtesse de Coulogne, the vineyard of Château Fonréaud produced, already at the time, a famous dry white wine. Called “Le Cygne”, emblem of the family who built the castle, he wore, like the other white wines of Listrac-Médoc (“Le Merle Blanc” of Château Clarke and “La Mouette” of Château Lestage), a bird’s name . At the end of the 1950s, climatic hazards led to the disappearance of these white vines. Since 1989 we have tried to reconnect with tradition by resurrecting this small vineyard.

The name Fonréaud that used to be spelt “Font Reaux” means “Royal Spring”. According to the legend, a king of England stopped on this spot in the XIth century to quench his thirst at a spring that he found there. But perhaps the name is owed simply to the existence of a pleasant cold-water spring in the park. Henri Le Blanc de Mauvesin built the chateau in 1855 according to plans drawn by the architect Garros. It will charm you by the elegance of its architecture. Leo Chanfreau bought the estate in 1962. Today Jean and MarieHelene Chanfreau and Caroline Chanfreau-Philippon are carrying on his work. Year after year, the vineyard has been improved: The Cabernet Sauvignon produces a beautifully structured wine and the Merlot gives it very nice fruit. La Légende, second wine of Château Fonréaud, shows the character of its terroir, with its well-balanced fruitiness and its well-rounded palate.

Clos des Demoiselles matures its 4 hectares of old Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines on the south slope of the Puy de Menjon, highest point of the Medoc. After belonging to the same family since 1820, Jean Chanfreau bought the estate in 2002. He has since risen to the challenge of expressing the unique character of this deep Pyrenean gravel terroir. Jean and Marie-Helene Chanfreau vinify with passion the produce of this tiny vineyard, planted mainly with Merlot, in order to express the finesse and the balance of its wine.