2020 | Château Franc Mayne | Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Spicy black cherries, smoke, flowers, cigar box, dark red fruits and espresso bean shine with ease in the perfume. Elegant, fresh, vibrant and refined, the wine is medium-bodied, lifted and ends with ample minerality and dark chocolate covered plums on the backend that keep on going.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2020 Franc-Mayne has turned out beautifully, wafting from the glass with aromas of dark berries, spices and licorice, followed by a medium to full-bodied, layered and seamless palate of real class and purity. Vibrant and polished, with vibrant fruit, powdery tannins and a long, perfumed finish, it's further evidence that this is an estate on the rise.

• James Suckling: Aromas of freshly crushed berries, dried herbs, violets and walnuts follow through to a medium body with fine-grained tannins and a juicy red fruit character. Vivid finish.

Producer Information

Château Franc Mayne is a seven-hectare (17 acre) Saint-Emilion estate, lying two kilometes (1.2 miles) west of Saint-Emilion town. The estate has been a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classé since the first classification of the appellation in 1955 (ratified in 1959) – a status it has held since then. Acquired by French businessman Jean-Pierre Savare in 2018, the 18th Century property had previously seen a succession of owners throughout the decades, including a spell under insurance giant – and well-known wine investor – AXA. Savare died in 2019 and the estate is overseen by his son, Thomas, alongside Martine ­Cazeneuve, who runs the property. Cazeneuve previously ran the Haut-Médoc estate, Château Paloumey (in which Savare is also a silent partner), until she passed this onto her son, Pierre Cazeneuve, in 2015. Franc Mayne is planted predominantly to Merlot with a small percentage of Cabernet Franc. The soil types are quite variable within the estate but, broadly speaking, the vines sit on sandy-clay soils on top of the limestone bedrock of the Saint-Emilion plateau. The vineyard began conversion to organic viticulture in 2019. Wines are fermented in a combination of oak vats and stainless steel tank before being put to barrel for aging. Initially, aging takes place in the first year cellar in the château buildings. For the second year, the wine (and barrels) are moved into the underground quarry next to the château (the cellar/quarry also doubles as a visitor experience). The wines are aged in roughly 50 percent new oak, and the final blend composition generally reflects that of the vineyard plantings: 90 percent Merlot and 10 percent Cabernet Franc. The estate makes two wines: the grand vin; and a second wine, Cèdres de Franc Mayne. The estate also produces an additional second wine, the Ilex de Franc Mayne, from a one-hectare (2.5 acre) parcelle of Merlot. Part of the château building is also a boutique guesthouse, the Relais Franc Mayne.

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