Château Fombrauge: Vineyards
Château Fombrauge is the largest grand cru classé estate in St Emilion, covering approximately 75 hectares, of which 58.6 hectares are planted to vineyards. The estate is in fact split fairly evenly between two sites, each with just shy of 30 hectares of vineyards. Although it is not widely publicised, the two vineyards are in fact about 4 kilometres distant from one another.
The first section of vineyard surrounds the château in St Christophe des Bardes. Here the soils are predominantly clay, and the vines are planted on a gentle north-facing slope which runs down towards the Barbanne. In truth there are few truly notable neighbours here, although Château Laroque lies just a few hundred metres to the south.
The second section of vineyard straddles the communes of St Hippolyte and St Etienne de Lisse. These vineyards are located on the limestone côte that runs west-east from St Emilion, a continuation of the Côte de Pavie. Here the neighbours are rather more prestigious, as along the slope to the west we find Château Lassègue, Château Bellefont-Belcier, Château Larcis Ducasse and of course Château Pavie. Again the soils here are clay, but there is a much more significant role for the classic Calcaire à Astéries and Molasse de Fronsadais bedrocks.
