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Chateau Fortia
Chateau Fortia, although not generally regarded as one of Chateauneuf du Pape's leading estates, does have a vital place in the history of the appellation - and in the history of French wine in general. Although the estate is named after the Marquies de Fortia d'Urban, who owned the property in the 18th Century, its most famous residents are the Le Roy family who took control, through marriage, in the early 20th Century. The first was Baron Pierre Le Roy de Boiseumarie, a vigneron and veteran of World War I (as a fighter pilot, no less) who, weary of Chateauneuf's cheap impostors, formed a local syndicate of growers who drew up regulations concerning the region. These regulations concerned delimited area of production, controlling which vines could be planted, methods of cultivation and vinification (no more rosé), compulsory sorting and exclusion of 5% of the harvest and final alcohol level. The result of Baron Le Roy's actions was, ultimately, the creation of the Appellation Contrôlée system for all France.
Today Chateau Fortia is still run by Baron Le Roy's descendants, Pierre having died in 1967. The most recent Le Roy has been Bruno, Pierre's grandson, who took control from his father, Henri Le Roy, in 1994. The estate is located close to the village of Chateauneuf du Pape, just to the southeast. It comprises a 19th Century mansion, home to the Le Roy family, surrounded by 27 ha of vineyard in a single plot. The mansion is impressive, with a neo-gothic facade which survived allied bombing during World War II, although some sections of the ancient cellars - parts of which date back to the 14th Century - were damaged. The vineyard soils are more sandy to the north of the plot, with more typical clay-limestone soils under a blanket of galets roulés to the south. The southern section is more suited to the appellation's red varieties.
The harvest is manual, with at least 5% rejected after sorting. Transport is in small crates to avoid damage to the fruit, which is then destemmed and each variety is then vinified in isolation, using cooled concrete tanks. There is up to 25 days maceration, before malolactic fermentation for the reds (not the white) and racking. The red wines are then assembled before up to 18 months in oak, and are fined and filtered before bottling. The white wine is kept on its lees before bottling the following Spring.
The range of wines available from Chateau Fortia is uncomplicated. A decent red Chateauneuf du Pape which, it's fair to say, during Henri Le Roy's tenure has not been challenging for title of top wine of the appellation. With his ceding of control in 1994 to son Bruno, who quickly employed the oenological skills of Jean-Luc Colombo, the estate's reputation seems to be recovering. Since the mid-1990s the straight Chateauneuf du Pape red, which is 80% Grenache, 16% Mourvèdre and 4% Syrah, has been a good wine; I have found merit in the 1994 and 1995 - Bruno's first attempts - as well as more recent vintages. Having said that I also found the 1989, from Henri's era, to be worthy. There is also a white Chateauneuf du Pape, a blend of Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Clairette, which is decent in my experience. And with the 2001 vintage there is a new red cuvée - Cuvée du Baron. This excellent wine has much more impact than the straight cuvée, and is well worth seeking out. (23/3/05)
Contact details:
Address: 84230 Chateauneuf du Pape
Telephone: +33 (0) 4 90 83 72 25
Fax: +33 (0) 4 90 83 51 03
Internet:
www.chateau-fortia.com
Chateau Fortia - Tasting Notes
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Chateau Fortia Chateauneuf du Pape Blanc 2001: A blend of 58% Clairette, 30%
Roussanne and 12 % Grenache Blanc. A clean white fruit nose. Fresh, acidic,
balanced. Medium bodied. Lovely plump white fruits. Clean flavour profile.
Acidity on the low side. Has potential though. 15.5+/20 (May 2004)
Chateau Fortia Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvée du Baron 2001: Smoky black
pepper and black fruit. A touch charred. fabulous texture on the palate. Sweet,
rounded, creamy palate. Voluptuous, velvety texture, underpinned by a firm
tannic backbone. Needs eight years plus. 16.5+/20 (May 2004)
Chateau Fortia Chateauneuf du Pape 2000: Herby Grenache fruit here but
some black pepper and black fruit. Nice texture on entry, full, a touch creamy,
but with medicinal cherry-scented fruit. Needs time to show its best; five to
seven years plus. 15+/20 (May 2004)
Chateau Fortia Chateauneuf du Pape 1997:
Good concentration of fruit. An elegant weight, with still integrating tannins
and good balance. Needs time. 16+/20 (December 2000)
Chateau Fortia Chateauneuf du Pape 1995: A mature colour. A burnt caramel and toffee nose. Full, almost lush on the
palate. Rich and structured, with roasted herb and cherry fruit. A big, full,
Grenache-dominated wine. Lovely intensity. Ready for drinking now. From a
Southern Rhône 1995
tasting. 17/20 (February 2004)
Chateau Fortia Chateauneuf du Pape 1994: This richly coloured red-purple wine has
just the barest hint of tawny at the rim. Aromas of toffee oak and burnt
Grenache fruit dominate the nose, but there are pleasing nuances of
chocolate and spice, and with time some animalistic notes. A big wine,
with tannins fairly prominent on the palate, there is also plenty of
alcohol, with sweet and oaky fruit. This is another wine with some
development ahead of it. From a
Southern Rhône 1994
tasting. 17+/20 (February 2002)
Chateau Fortia Chateauneuf du Pape 1989: Another
dark wine. Excellent nose of ground coffee, spices,
leather and fruit. A full, rounded alcoholic body, with
good fruit, cloves and sweet toffee flavours. Lovely
finish. From a 1989
Chateauneuf tasting. 16.5/20 (July 2000)
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