Chateau Jean Faure’s history as a winegrowing estate dates back to the 16th century. It is named after its owner Jehan Faure, who at the time was a resident of Saint-Emilion and a member of the town council of Libourne. Jean Faure’s great terroir is first and foremost a historic terroir, a property anchored to its territory for close to 600 years and only belonging to six families during this period.

As of the middle of 18th century, this historic first growth appeared on the first map of the great terroirs of Bordeaux. Château Jean Faure has consistently spanned the eras. The surface area of Jean Faure has not changed since the beginning of the 19th century.

1893 – 6th edition : Chateau Jean Faure was recognized as a 1st growth of Saint-Emilion at the end of the 19th century.

Located at the heart of a mythical terroir of the Premiers Grands Crus Classés of Saint Emilion, CHÂTEAU JEAN FAURE is a close neighbour of the prestigious Château Cheval Blanc and Château Figeac which is less than 500 meters from the estate. This 18 unbroken hectare property is deeply rooted in a great terroir which is made up of clay with iron layers. This estate’s historic vineyard is essentially planted with Cabernet franc (50%).

Feret speaks very highly about its terroir and vineyard:

“Château Jean Faure boasts a well-established reputation both in France and abroad; adjacent to Château Cheval-Blanc, this important domaine produces a wine which is remarkable due to its finesse and its extremely developed bouquet.”

“The estate of Jean Faure boasts various types of soil, where one comes across the best proportions for vine-growing, as well as light siliceous and thick stony-gravel soils, resting upon a ferruginous hardened sandy layer.”

2016, A RARE VINTAGE – An incredible scenario for the 2016 vintage.
Opening act : a mild and very rainy winter (600 mm of water in 6 months), as well as a difficult and equally rainy springtime put considerable strain on winegrowers. A battle was waged to protect our organic vines from mildew and cryptogamic diseases. Despite this situation, the flowering was even, thanks to good weather conditions at the right moment.
Act II : a radical change in climate: as of the 15th of June, Bordeaux experienced generous sunshine and a period of drought. However, Chateau Jean Faure’s clay terroir permitted the grapes to change color. Cool September nights, associated with pleasant sunshine resulted in a late, botrytis-free harvest: between the 7th and the 10th of October for the Merlots and the 12th and the 18th of October for the Cabernet Francs. 2016 was a rare vintage combining color, density, and good tannins, underscored by high acidity. Chateau Jean Faure’s wines are deep, complex and juicy with plenty of freshness.

Grape varieties : 50% cabernet franc, 45% merlot, 5% malbec

Age of vines : 45 years

WINEMAKING / MATURING
Hand-picked harvest in crates. 100% winemaking of the grapes in their entirety. Manual cap punching. – Ageing for a period of 18 months – 40% in new barrels, 40% in barrels used once before and 20% in casks used once before.

The palate is quite perfumed, quite direct, with more of the red plum and red cherry fruit seen on the nose, touched with a little tobacco barrel spice, and underpinned by a firm seam of tannin. Indeed there is a lot of tannin here, ripe and a little chewy in style, the structure coming in through the midpalate and continuing on into the finish. This is fresh, quite pointed and quite precise in style, with a long tannic grip. It has promise.

James Suckling – 93-94 points

« A dense and linear fruit and tannin structure to this wine. Full body and chewy tannins. Fresh and long. Gorgeous already. Much better than the 2015. »

Wine Advocate Robert Parker – 91-93 points

« The 2016 Jean Faure has a very attractive, quite floral bouquet with some lovely black cherry, raspberry preserve and rose petal aromas that waft from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, very well judged acidity, layers of crisp black and red fruit with fine mineral tension towards the finish. That’s the best Jean Faure that I have tasted at primeur. » – Neal Martin

Decanter – 90 points

« Located just next to Château La Dominique, this has bright, plush, vibrant fruit and delivers the signature of the year in its chalky tannins and good freshness. The 50% Cabernet Franc is extremely dominant, giving an austerity and freshness at this stage. The rest of the blend is 45% Merlot and 5% Malbec, aged in 60% new oak and softened further with a few large oak casks. »