# Le Défi de Fontenil (2010)

- **Producer:** Château Fontenil
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Merlot
- **Region:** Bordeaux, France
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.5%
- **Average price:** €95
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 15–17 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** blackberry, blueberry, blackcurrant, black pepper, liquorice, smoke, cedar, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, toast, tobacco, forest floor, leather, mushroom

## About this wine

Château Fontenil is the personal estate of the world-renowned consulting enologist Michel Rolland and his wife Dany, who acquired the property in 1986. Le Défi (The Challenge) was born out of defiance during the 2000 vintage. To protect his oldest Merlot vines from autumn rains, Rolland laid plastic sheets on the soil between the rows. The INAO deemed this an illegal modification of terroir and stripped the wine of its Fronsac AOC status. Rolland proudly embraced the decision, downgrading the wine to Vin de France and naming it Le Défi, creating a highly sought-after, limited-production cult wine.

## Interesting facts

- Downgraded to Vin de France because Michel Rolland used plastic sheets to protect old vines from rain.
- Sourced from a tiny 1.66-hectare plot of extremely old Merlot vines, some over 80 years old.
- Fermented and aged entirely in 100% new French oak barrels using micro-vinification.
- Extremely rare with only 5,200 bottles produced for the 2010 vintage.

## Food pairing

This powerful, full-bodied Merlot requires rich, protein-heavy dishes to bind its robust tannins. The high alcohol and intense dark fruit flavors pair beautifully with roasted game, duck, and prime cuts of beef, while the wine's bright acidity cuts through rich sauces and earthy, aged cheeses.

## Wine making process

Sourced from a tiny 1.66-hectare parcel of vines over 80 years old grown on clay-limestone soils. The grapes are hand-harvested with meticulous double sorting. Vinification is done entirely via micro-vinification, where fermentation and maceration take place directly inside 100% new French oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation is completed in the same barrels with no pumping over to ensure gentle extraction. The wine is then aged for 18 months in 100% new French oak barrels.