Château Fonréaud 1993
Listrac-Médoc
Fonréaud, a name from a legend and a location on the roof of the Medoc already make this property an exceptional place. "Fonréaud", formerly "Font-réaux", means "Royal Fountain". Indeed, the legend says that in the twelfth century, the King of England and husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II Plantagenet, stopped there, to drink from a cool spring.
In 1932, Château Fonréaud was classified as Cru Bourgeois Supérieur, a classification renewed in 2003. Since 2008, Château Fonréaud wines have been recognised as Crus Bourgeois every year.
In 1962, Léo Chanfreau, a winemaker in Algeria, returned with his family to Metropolitan France. He then visited many properties and fell in love with Fonréaud. Everything has to be done: the vineyard has only 17 hectares of very old vines and the venerable wooden vats are doomed to destruction. Leo enthusiastically embarks on this new challenge.
He replanted the vineyard, built the concrete vat, which is still in use today, and began major work in the castle whose south wing was rebuilt stone by stone. Victim of a tractor accident in 1970, he left his work unfinished.
His father, Marcel Chanfreau, then 73 years old, took over until Jean, decided to come to settle in Listrac at the end of his studies as agronomist.
Jean Chanfreau, manager of the estate since 1978, at the age of 20, moved to Fonréaud in 1981.
As early as 1983, Château Fonréaud was recognised by the profession by becoming a member of the Bordeaux Wine Academy and the closed circle of the Bordeaux Grands Crus Union. In 1985 start work on finishing the castle and optimising the vineyard. They will last six years during which Jean and Marie-Hélène will have the happiness to see four children born: Guillaume (1984), Loïc (1986), Tiphaine (1987) and Juliette (1991).
Today, Jean, accompanied by his wife Marie-Hélène, his sister Caroline Chanfreau-Philippon and his two sons, Guillaume and Loïc live this vineyard with passion and polish each vintage with the ambition to make elegant and fine wines, combining fruit, roundness, with a good ability to age.
