Wineshark Wine Tasting - Chateau de Ferrand

History

Lawyer, poet, visionary urban planner, courtier, collector of curiosities, philanthropist, Elie de Betoulaud was all of these rolled into one. This wealthy, joyful figure went on to create Ferrand in his own image. Chateau de Ferrand’s story began in the early 18th century thanks to a great esteem: Elie’s esteem for King Louis XIV, who he greatly admired for his majesty, influence, and love for the arts in general and literature in particular.

Like many a gentleman of his time, Elie de Betoulaud had a symbolic, sensitive and sensual relationship with nature. Like his great friend Madeleine de Scudery, a poet, he had an intimate knowledge of the Map of Tendre which translated landscapes into feelings.

As an enthusiastic aesthete, he wanted to pay tribute to Louis XIV. With a commanding position in the Saint-Emilion wine region, an immense sky, exceptional views of the Dordogne valley, a mild climate, all the perfect setting for his admiration, Elie built Ferrand to reflect the elegance, eccentricity and joy for Versailles. 

Down from the chateau are Ferrand’s mysterious lyre-shaped caves, opening out onto the Dordogne valley. This is the perfect place to celebrate the harmony of nature: Elie de Betoulaud transformed them into display of curiosities that held fossils, rare shells and sculptures, where knowledgeable guests could pick out figures of Hercules, Caesar, Augustus, Mars, and of course Louis XIV.

Louis XIV would never know Chateau de Ferrand other than by name and Elie de Betoulaud only ever knew Louis XIV by reputation: the lawyer and artist died of a heart attack in a horse-drawn carriage whilst traveling to Paris to meet him. 

Lacking a direct heir but remaining a poet after his death, Elie de Betoulaud bequeathed Chateau de Ferrand via a poetry contest to his great-grand nephews, including the Marquis de Mons who then passed it down from generation to generation until 1978.

In the late 1970s, Chateau de Ferrand changed hands for the only time in its history. One day in December 1977, Baron Bich, a visionary industrialist who founded the company bearing his name, announced to his family that he was going to ‘turn water into wine’. There was nothing miraculous about this: he simply sold his shares in a mineral water brand to purchase Chateau de Ferrand.

After Baron Bich’s demise, ownership remained in the family. Today, Ferrand is run by his daughter Pauline Bich and her husband Philippe Chandon-Moet. Under Pauline and Philippe, the estate regains momentum. 

There has been significant work going on at Chateau de Ferrand since 2010. The vineyards have been restructured and replanted after an in-depth ampelographic soil study and adaptation of grape varieties to terroirs. Cultivation methods have been revamped; winemaking buildings have been re-examined. Cellars have been modernized, and vats adapted and increased to enable plot-by-plot management. In 2012, the family’s commitment bore fruit: Ferrand became a Saint-Emilion Grand Cru Classe. 

Viticulture

Planted on the clay-limestone hillsides of Saint-Hippolyte at around 100 meters above sea level, Ferrand is one of the highest vineyards in the Saint-Emilion appellation. It looks down onto a curve in the Dordogne valley and enjoys ideal exposure to the winds. This elevated position has various benefits for winemaking: with rising air currents keep the site well ventilated, and all the plots have slight slopes to ensure a significant portion of the summer rains runs off.

Following a process of mapping the soil and subsoil, and regrouping the plots, Chateau de Ferrand undertook a programme of replanting, tailoring its choice of vines to the estate’s different soil types. Planting density was increased sharply to 8,300 vines per hectare as replanting work was completed. The leaf to fruit ratio also increased, significantly improving the quality of each harvest.

In the vineyard, grass covers between rows to maintain vine balance as well as possible, with control of inter-row grass cover through plot-by-plot sowing of legumes, grass, and mustards. The use of plant cover as green fertiliser, and in addition, use of organic fertilisers from a local cattle farm. 

No insecticides are used since 2011, with integrated pest management via mating disruption being the method of choice. No herbicides are used on the estate for more than fifteen years. The planting of fallow fields and the installation of hives highlight their environmental approach. 

The Ferrand vineyards are surrounded by ten hectares of woodland and meadows, unique for the Saint-Emilion region. The estate and its protected park are home to rich endemic fauna, including deer, boar, migratory birds, hares, and cranes. The estate’s bees make their honey from flowers in the orchard, hedgerows, vegetable patch and aromatic plant garden. Oak trees, most of which are two centuries old, cover more than two hectares.

Chateau de Ferrand has been committed to seeking environmental balance since 2012. After more than three years of trials, 2021 is the first organic-conversion vintage across the entire vineyard. In addition to the Terra Vitis (2012) and HVE level 3 (2018) certifications, Ferrand also obtained certification in ISO 14001 standard in 2021, which will support its work to protect the environment. 

In 2021, Chateau de Ferrand left monoculture behind and turned towards agroforestry. Fruit trees are being planted at the heart of plots, as well as hedges and groves of trees along the edges. 

The grape varieties are 70% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Franc and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon, providing roundness, freshness, minerality, acidity and a lingering finish that herald perfect balance and a wonderfully long life.

Each individual plot is handled differently according to its specific characteristics. During the winter, pruning in single Guyot formation requires experience of the age, strength, density, and grape variety of each plot, as well as respect for sap circulation. Then comes budding and disbudding, vital for ensuring a top-quality harvest using rational crop protection methods. 

Grape ripeness is monitored daily via grape tasting, then confirmed by technical and phenolic analyses. The harvest is sorted in three steps: sorting by hand at the vine, another sorting by hand when the harvest arrives, and optical sorting before gravity-driven transfer to vats. The tiered volumes of the vats allow plot origins to be preserved, and the chateau to ensure traceability.

Winemaking

Wines are matured in fine-grained French oak barrels. This lasts for 14 to 18 months depending on the vintage. Balance is constantly being sought to ensure the fruit has pride of place. Each batch is tasted regularly throughout the maturation process. 

Various test blends are created by the owner, the director, the technical director, the cellar master, and the consultant oenologist. The blend is dictated entirely by quality and precision requirements. This is where the signature of each of the estate’s wines comes through. 

The wine is bottled at the estate and stored in its cellars. Fully temperature-controlled storage cellars above and below ground allow the wines to be kept in ideal conditions. 

Wine

Staying true to the wines of the Saint-Emilion appellation, Chateau de Ferrand has a garnet colour and an intense nose of ripe fruit and spice. It is clean in the attack with smooth tannins. It then develops very ripe red fruit, blackcurrant, raspberry and blueberry notes and a lingering, elegant finish. 

Since 2007, Ferrand has also had a second wine: Le Different de Chateau de Ferrand. It is a product of the same terroir and the same commitment to quality as Ferrand’s first wine. IT can be enjoyed young and embodies a finesse and aromatic elegance that make it a wine for all seasons and occasions.

Reference from official website: https://www.chateaudeferrand.com/en/

My Tasting Note: 

Chateau de Ferrand 2009

Appearance: Bright and clear, the wine is of deep ruby colour, with fading rim and legs.

Nose: Clean, with medium intensity aromas of black fruit of blackberry, dark plum and dark cherries, oak notes of vanilla, kernel notes of coffee, pungent spice of liquorice, maturity notes of savoury. The wine is developing. 

Palate: Dry with medium acidity, the wine has medium tannin of ripe and velvety texture, medium (+) alcohol and full body, with medium (+) intensity flavours of black fruit of blackberry and plum, kernel notes of chocolate, oak notes of vanilla, sweet spice of clove. The wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion: Very good quality St-Emilion with a reasonably intense nose showing good complexity, with plenty of black fruit, oak and coffee, followed by some spice and hints of savoury. The wine is juicy and fruity, energetic and vibrant, well-balanced with good concentration of flavours, as well as a fairly long finish. It is ready to drink now but can maintain for another 3-5 years.