Château Fombrauge

Identity

Château Fombrauge is a winegrowing estate located in Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes, in Gironde. It is owned by Bernard Magrez, who acquired the estate in 1999. Martial Rousset serves as cellar master, alongside Emmanuel Massé as vineyard manager and Nicolas Contiero as estate director.

History and philosophy

The history of Château Fombrauge dates back to the 15th century, with its initial acquisition by Jacques de Canolle in 1466. The earliest documented harvest took place in 1599. In 1758, Jacques François Dumas inherited the estate. Later, in 1864, the Taffard Saint-Germain family took ownership, and the wines of Château Fombrauge were awarded a gold medal at the 1867 Exposition Universelle. In 1999, Bernard Magrez acquired the property, breathing new life into the estate. In 2012, Château Fombrauge was awarded Grand Cru Classé de Saint-Émilion status. The estate holds Haute Valeur Environnementale certification and is certified ISO 14001 for its environmental management system.

The appellations

Château Fombrauge produces wines under the Saint-Émilion Grand Cru Classé and Bordeaux appellations. The plots are located notably within the commune of Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes.

Practical information

Château Fombrauge is located at 615 Route des Baziliques, 33330 Saint-Christophe-des-Bardes. For enquiries, call +33 (0)5 57 24 77 12 or email contact@bernard-magrez.com. The tasting and sales cellar is open Monday to Friday, from 09:00 to 12:00 and from 14:00 to 19:00. Wine tourism activities, visits to the estate and guest rooms are temporarily closed during the 2025 season.

Find out more

Official estate website

The vineyard (terroir)

The Château Fombrauge vineyard covers a total area of 75 hectares, including 56 hectares planted with red grape varieties and 2 hectares with white varieties. It is predominantly situated on clay-limestone soils. The blend of grape varieties for the red wines is largely dominated by Merlot (77%), complemented by Cabernet Franc (14%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (9%). For the white wines, the grape varieties comprise Sémillon (40%) alongside Sauvignon blanc and Sauvignon gris (30% each). The average age of the vines reaches around 40 years for certain parcels. Harvesting is carried out entirely by hand.

Flagship cuvées

The estate's principal cuvée is Château Fombrauge. A dedicated cuvée named Magrez Fombrauge is also produced. The red wines display a style with a spicy sweetness, characterised by the dominance of Merlot in the blend.

Vinification and ageing

Vinification at Château Fombrauge is conducted plot by plot, taking into account the terroir, the grape variety and the age of the vines. Intra-plot selection is carried out using vigour and ripeness mapping generated by drone monitoring. Harvesting is manual, in small crates, followed by hand sorting on tables before and after destemming by a skilled team. Vinification takes place in small-capacity vats (70 hl) made of wood, stainless steel and concrete, using a gravity-fed process. A cold pre-fermentation maceration at 8°C lasts between 4 and 8 days, followed by entirely manual punch-downs (pigeage). The maceration period lasts 28 to 32 days for Merlot and 26 to 28 days for the Cabernets. Ageing lasts 16 months, using 40% new barrels and 60% one-wine barrels. A proportion of the ageing, around 20%, can take place in vats. The white wines are aged for eight to ten months on fine lees in barrels, with regular lees stirring (bâtonnage).