Château Fontenil: Vineyards
As decribed in my introduction to the estate, Château Fontenil is located at the heart of the commune of Saillans, which itself sits on the edge of the plateau of Fronsac. A number of noteworthy Fronsac estates are located very close by, not least Château Villars, which sits right on the edge of the plateau to the southwest of the village, and Château de Carles, which sits just to the northeast. The Isle meanders by just to the east of the estate, en route towards Libourne and its eventual union with the Dordogne.
There are 9.4 hectares of vines (although they farm a little more than this, the additional vines held in a fermage agreement), located within several parcels including Filet Rouge, which looks south towards the waters of the Isle and Libourne, and then Carles, Le Faure, Le Basque and the Côte Fonteuil (the origin of the name of Fontenil – quite how the mutation in spelling occurred I am unsure) which tend to face north and north east. The terroir varies within each parcel, with limestone including the desirable Calcaire à Astéries on the plateau, Molasses de Fronsadais and Castillon clay on the slopes, and a mix of alluvial feldspar sand and gravel at the foot of the slopes.
