Chateau Fonbel, St.Emilion, Bordeaux, France, 750ml

The entry-level wine from the Vauthier Family (Château Ausone) and made from 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, the rest Carmenere and Petit Verdot, with 30% raised in barrel, château de Fonbel gives up medium to full-bodied notes of Asian spices, white pepper, and damp herbs to go with a pretty core of strawberry and cherry fruit. Charming, layered, and elegant, with impeccable balance, it?s already hard to resist yet is going to keep for a decade.