Fontbories red 2003
 AOC Corbières wine

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Provenance

The best and oldest vines on the slopes of the Montagne d’Alaric are used to make this wine. Here, at Camplong in the district of Lagrasse, the soil is a red chalky clay with pebbles. The vines, spread over a total of 40 hectares, are 35 years old on average.

Grape varieties

  • Carignan (from old vines): 50%
  • Syrah: 30%
  • Mourvèdre: 20%

Harvested entirely by hand.

Wine-making

Carbonic maceration is used for the Syrah and Carignan varieties, keeping the grapes intact. The fermentation takes 12-16 days.

The Mourvèdre is destalked and fermented for about two weeks. The liquid is drawn off several times and the lees allowed to settle.

In March the fermented grape-juices are blended to create the desired wine. This is followed by 6-8 month in Merrain oak barrels in their second year of use. After bottling, the wine is kept for 8-10 months before being put on the market.

Description

The rigorous selection of the grapes and the careful wine-making result in a high-quality product.

The delicate perfumes of truffles and blackcurrant with a hint of oaky vanilla will charm you from the start. Fontbories is well-balanced and rounded, lingering on the tongue. The tannins are noticeable, yet silky smooth. This is a wine to drink with meat dishes such as lamb, duck and game, and of course with cheese.

To appreciate this wine to the full it should be decanted and left at room temperature for half an hour before drinking. Kept in a cellar it will continue to improve for 5-6 years.

Cultivation

The vines, which are pruned en gobelet forming compact bushes, are entirely harvested by hand, producing 43 hectolitres/hectare.

In order to preserve the concentrated aromas, this wine has been only lightly filtered so that you may find a small deposit in the bottle, which does not affect the quality of the product.

Prizes

Gold medal at the Concours Général Agricole, Paris 2005

Vignerons de Camplong, 11200 Camplong d'Aude, France
tel : 04 68 43 60 86 fax : 04 68 43 69 21
email : vignerons@camplong.com