Description

This wine has all the hallmarks of its bigger brother, Château Fonroque, and has a cedary, robust structure which will give it the ability to age well. Rich, Merlot fruit with the slightly herbaceous note which Cabernet Franc imparts. Excellent value St Emilion. If you would like to order please email susan@ethicalwine.com with the details and we will contact you for payment.

More information

Up until recently all the grapes from Château Fonroque's 18 hectare vineyard went into the Château Fonroque wine. In an effort to increase the quality of the 'Grand Vin', Alain Moueix has introduced a second wine, Château Cartier, made from the same plot of vines as the Grand Vin but from deselected vats which are then aged in a lower percentage of new oak.

The Moueix family's involvement with Saint-Emilion goes back to 1931, when Alain's great-grandparents arrived at the estate.

Alain Moueix took over management of the family estate in 2001. He is an agricultural engineer and oenologist and has extensive experience in winegrowing. Besides a year and a half experience in the vineyards of New Zealand (1990 and 1991 vintages) he was the Manager of Château Saint-André Corbin in Saint-Georges Saint-Emilion from 1991 to 2002 and has been the Manager of Château Mazeyres in Pomerol since 1992.

His guiding strategy "calls for a constant detailed study of the soil, in order to help keep it revitalised... We need to understand it, to know it, to feel it in order to give it what it needs. Besides the ecologic aspect, the aim is to find another balance in the wine, to develop the vertical dimension in it, to increase the relief sensations. Even more it’s the search for more subtleties in the wines, to find varied aromas and to obtain the best that the terroir can offer".

Thanks to organic farming, Alain believes they obtain "more lively wines in which fruit and flower sensations are enhanced. They are complex, spicy... with a finish stressed by minerality."

Growing the vineyard organically does not just mean that they stop using chemicals and enhance soil life. It is also includes planting hedges (between blocks, on slopes, near ditches) and “hosting” good insects to eat the insects that damage the vines, all in order to create a natural equilibrium.

The use of grass in between the rows is also a way to bring biodiversity. When needed, a special mix of grass is adapted to each individual block. They also recycle all the waste from the estate (solid or liquid). For example, rain water is used to clean tractors and water from a well is used to spray the vineyard.

Suitable for Vegetarians

Suitable for Vegans