Charlemagne built a fortress in the Fronsac region, overlooking the confluence of the Dordogne and the Isle, to survey the river traffic and the road leading to Bordeaux. Culminating at an altitude of 75 metres, it offers a magnificent view of Fronsac's rugged landscape. The wine production area is now slightly removed from the main thoroughfares, but has some beautiful churches and châteaux. The wines of Fronsac are often best characterized by their tannic expression. The château Fontenil belongs to Dany and Michel Rolland since 1985. Located on the excellent terroir of Saillans, the wines are produced using modern techniques such as micro-oxygenation.

In 2000, Dany and Michel Rolland, always looking for ways to enhance quality and experimenting, decided to cover certain plots of vines at Château Fontenil with plastic sheets in order to avoid the effects of rain during the month before the harvests. The INAO (the official body that oversees AOC regulations) ruled that this could modify the terroir and that the resulting wine would not have appellation status, and would be a simple Vin de Table. Today the "Le Défi de Fontenil" ("The Defiance of Fontenil") remains the "cuvée de tête", produced in very small quantities, still as a Vin de Table, to justify its name.