Chateau Fonreaud Le Cygne, Bordeaux Blanc

Chateau Fonreaud Le Cygne is a dry white Bordeaux wine made from a typical blend of Bordeaux white wine grape varieties: Sauvignon, Semillon and Muscadelle. It is made at Chateau Fonreaud, which is arguably better known for its red wines. Purchase today at Fareham Wine Cellar.

Chateau Fonreaud, a Jewel of Listrac-Médoc

Chateau Fonreaud is a Membre de l’Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux and is located in the Listrac-Médoc wine-growing region of Bordeaux. The commune of Fonreaud is situated in the Médoc on the Route Nationale 215, between Bordeaux and Le Verdon-sur-Mer. The name “Fonreaud” is a derivation of the name “Font-réaux” meaning “Royal Fountain” and legend has it that, in the 12th century, the King of England and husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II Plantagenet, stopped here to quench his thirst and drank from a spring of cool water. The spring can be found on the estate today. There were cellars on the site in the 17th century however, the current Chateau was built in 1850 by Henri Le Blanc de Mauvezin.

Owned by the Chanfreau Family

Today, the estate is owned and run by Vignobles Chanfreau, two brothers, Loic and Guillaume Chanfreau. They have recently taken over from their father Jean. Jean’s grandfather Leo had been a winemaker in Algeria and purchased the estate in 1962 on his return to France. The estate then comprised 17 hectares and was managed by Leo’s son Marcel until Jean took over. They also own Chateau Lestage and have also acquired their aunt’s Chateau, Chateau Caroline, bringing the family’s Chateaux under one umbrella for the first time.

The vineyards surround the Chateau which sits on the border between Listrac Medoc and Moulis and now comprises 32 hectares in a single block Pyrenean gravel with a clay limestone subsoil.

The Resurgence of White Bordeaux

Bordeaux White wines seem to be undergoing a bit of a resurgence in recent years but Chateau Fonreaud Le Cygne was first made at the beginning of the 19th Century by the Vicomtesse de Coulogne. In the 1950s, white wine production had ceased at Chateau Fonreaud but, in 1989, it was decided to reintroduce the tradition and three plots were chosen with limestone soils and terroir suitable for white wine production. The white wine vineyards total an area of 3 hectares and are planted with 65% Sauvignon, 20% Semillon and 15% Muscadelle.

Chateau Fonreaud Le Cygne Vinification

• Grape Selection and Harvest: Great care is taken with the grapes; harvest is by hand, with pickers making three to four passes through the vineyard, each time selecting only the ripest grapes.
• Pressing and Fermentation: Grapes are gently pressed; juice is fermented in old wooden barrels with regular stirring of the fine lees.
• Bottling: Wine is bottled in the summer following the harvest.
• Blend Composition: Approximately 60% Sauvignon, 25% Sémillon, and 15% Muscadelle.

Chateau Fonreaud is a member of Terra Vitis.

Why Is It Called Chateau Fonreaud Le Cygne?

The wine is named Le Cygne, “The Swan”, after the emblem of the family that built the chateau. It is common to name white wines from Listrac-Medoc after birds – there is also La Mouette de Château Lestage and the Le Merle Blanc de Château Clarke named after the Seagull and Blackbird, respectively.