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Chateau Fourcas Hosten

The first time I caught sight of the rather attractive low-slung chartreuse-style chateau at Fourcas Hosten was the winter of 2006, when I was in the region to visit Margaux and Sociando-Mallet, among others. I was seated next to one of the 200-or-so Masters of Wine who, on similarly espying the property, immediately indicated that the wines were both delicious and good value and, as if to back up his assertion, he confessed that he had just bought a case of the 2005 (at that time still unbottled, of course). Ever since then I have been meaning to get better acquainted with the wines and to profile the estate, and early in 2010 the opportunity eventually came my way.

The story of Fourcas Hosten begins with the Hosten family, proprietors in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Having passed the property from father to son, in 1810 they sold the vineyard and estate to a family from Saint Affrique, a southerly commune of France closer to the Mediterranean than to the Médoc. In this action Fourcas Hosten was born, a property which in 1971 came into the hands of an American syndicate headed up by Peter Sichel, the ranks of the new owners subsequently reinforced with the addition of some French merchants and local proprietors. This French-American consortium built the estate up into one with a solid reputation until 2006 when, in a surprise announcement, it was revealed that they had sold the property.

The new owners are Laurent and Renaud Momméja, names perhaps unfamiliar to wine savants, but to dedicated followers of fashion they will be instantly recognisable; the Momméja family is behind one of the fashion world's most famous labels, Hermès. Ebullient and enthusiastic, the new owners announced that they had fallen in love with "this beautiful property and its great wine". Such enthusiasm for a Listrac was met in some quarters by little more than raised eyebrows; Jancis Robinson wrote "I wonder whether they know the maxim that you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear", following up with "once a Listrac, always a Listrac". Clearly, not all MWs are in agreement with the sentiment expressed by my travelling colleague in 2006 that this is a go-to source of good quality and good value wine.

Regardless of these pointed opinions, today Fourcas Hosten remains in the hands of the Momméja brothers, a private asset owned by Laurent and Renaud rather than by the Hermès label. What they have is not just an admirable Médoc vineyard, more than half of which is characterised by valuable gravel-rich terroir, but also an attractive chartreuse-style chateau situated at the heart of a 3-hectare park. Naturally there has been some improvement and investment; there were extensive works in 2008, including a renovation of the three cellars and chateau, new equipment and barrels and some tidying up in the vineyard.

Vineyards and Wines

There are 47 hectares of vines altogether, the soils underfoot a mix of 60% Pyrenean gravel over clay and deeper limestone in a lieu-dit named Le Fourcas, the remaining 40% just clay and limestone. The vines include Merlot (22 hectares), largely confined to the clay soils, whereas the gravel is favoured by the two Cabernets, with Cabernet Sauvignon covering 23 hectares and 2 hectares of Cabernet Franc. The average vine age exceeds 30 years, and the planting density adds up to 8333 vines per hectare.

The vines are tended along the lines of lutte raisonnée, and the harvest is mostly manual, although 20-30% is picked by machine. The fermentation is temperature-controlled to 26-28ºC with remontage to submerge the cap, with a three-week soak before the nascent wine is run off into barrels. The grand vin is Chateau Fourcas Hosten, of which there are typically more than 20000 cases produced per annum, and this will see 12 months in oak barrels, 33% new each vintage, before an egg-white fining and bottling. Then there are about 5000 cases of a second wine, Les Cèdres d'Hosten, of which 25% will be raised in barrel, the rest will remain en cuve. The process is overseen by manager Patrice Pagès, who was retained by the Momméja brothers following their purchase, with assistance from Oenologist Eric Boissenot.

Tasting these wines it seems clear to me that Fourcas Hosten is indeed a source of good value Bordeaux, a commonly touted and yet in fact rarely encountered beast. No, it is not the unsung equivalent of Léoville Las-Cases or Vieux Chateau Certan but in reality no Bordeaux drinker would expect that to be the case. But it is a source of nicely fashioned wines, restrained and dry rather than sweet and rich, food-friendly and savoury. Just the sort of wines, in fact, that so many lament cannot be found in Bordeaux today. I suspect my colleague's purchase of the 2005 vintage was a rather shrewd move. (16/6/10)

Contact details:
Address: 33480 Listrac-Médoc
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 56 58 01 15
Fax +33 (0) 5 56 58 06 73
Internet: www.fourcas-hosten.com

Chateau Fourcas Hosten - Tasting Notes

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Chateau Fourcas Hosten (Listrac) 2007: This is 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon. A good fresh colour here, youthful. The nose is bright and lifted rather than dense, with a smoky, crunchy-cranberry style of fruit, tinged with a little soot. Still some fresh oak apparent here. The palate is as expected for the vintage, lean but fresh, crunchy but firm, classically styled and not overdone in view of the vintage. No greenness here. Short finish. A good effort. 14.5/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Fourcas Hosten (Listrac) 2006: This is 52% Merlot and 48% Cabernet Sauvignon. A more polished wine than the 2007, firm fruit with a solid shell, cranberry and cherry notes within, tinged by some Merlot fruit-cake. The palate has a firm and solid style, round and polished, with good dense fruit. Not overly rich though, overall a middle-weight. A touch sooty in the finish. Nice wine. 15.5+/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Fourcas Hosten (Listrac) 2005: This is 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon. A lovely nose here, firm aromatics, with smoky and exotic fruit notes. Clean but concentrated fruit on the palate with a trace of oak although this is integrating very nicely. A very polished, firm style, although with lovely structure, the clean ripe core of tannins only coming out at the very finish. There are pretty, floral nuances to provide some interest, and a little length to it as well. Very good indeed. 17+/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Fourcas Hosten (Listrac) 2005: A bright, red fruit nose here which is delightful in its vibrancy. It is rather soft and delicate on the palate though, although only in the context of the vintage. It has a gentle, smoky character, but there is a good quantity of grip and acidity beneath. It is not a very well defined palate, but is certainly likely to offer good value if the price is right. 16+/20 (October 2007)

Chateau Fourcas Hosten (Listrac) 2004: This is 55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon. Although only six years old this has a maturing appearance, and the nose is similarly evolving, showing the suggestion of iron filings against the stony-mineral fruit. Less textured than the 2005, rather firm and solid, a little leaner in terms of concentration too. Firm tannic backbone behind it all, especially in the finish. Rather spicy too. Rather nice overall, but it needs time to soften up. 15.5+/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Fourcas Hosten (Listrac) 2003: This is 45% Merlot and 55% Cabernet Sauvignon. A more dense hue than the more recent vintages, rather matt in appearance, and deeply aromatic on the nose, perfumed with roasted fruits. Lots of flesh on the palate but it has a cool delineation also. A touch chewy perhaps, especially towards the back. A good tannic frame within it all. Impressive and balanced for the vintage. 16.5+/20 (February 2010)

Chateau Fourcas Hosten (Listrac) 1999: There is a very exciting nose here, forceful and bright, with gritty, iron-bound fruit to the fore but supported by a flattering, floral perfume behind. There is a stylishly composed palate, with a reserved character, a soft structure and appealing texture. It isn't quite as open and persuasive as the nose would suggest but there is plenty of pleasure and potential here, and I think this is really very good for the vintage. Worth opening a bottle now if you have one. From the 2007 CIVB tasting. 16.5+/20 (October 2007)

Chateau Fourcas Hosten (Listrac) 1996: Stony, mineral aromas on the nose, with some black fruit and a hint of black olives. Medium body apparent on entry, quite firm structure, with stony fruit flavour. Somewhat stinky and I would say rustic. Seems to have a touch more finesse on the endpalate though, with more black olive flavour. Some tannin still evident on the finish. Overall it has just enough fruit to cope with the structure. From a Bordeaux tasting. 16+/20 (October 2003)