Chateau de Fieuzal

In the early part of the century the estate appeared to be under the de Fieuzal family, the obvious source of its modern name, with the family also owning Chateau Haut-Gardere. The last descendant of the family, Lovely Fieuzal, died in 1851 and the estates were sold to the Griffon family.

One of the Griffon brothers was Consul to Pope Leon XIII in Bordeaux, and in 1892 the estate was sold to Abel Ricard, who also owned Domaine de Chevalier and Chateau Malartic-Lagraviere. The vineyards went into decline because of phylloxera, oidium, world war and depression, and after Abel’s death during WWII, the estate was passed to his daughter Odette and her husband Eric Bocke.

They rebuilt the chateau and replanted the vineyards, predominantly with red varieties with also with a few rows of white. In the 1959 Graves classification the red was ranked a classed growth, but not the white because of its minuscule quantity to be sent for assessment.

After the death of Odette, and three years later Eric, the estate was sold to a pharmacist named Georges Negrevergne, who sold it later to Banques Populaires, with Georges’ son-in-law Gerard Gribelin remained at the helm. He acquired the Haut-Gardere vineyards and incorporated into the Fieuzal estate, increasing the size to 30 hectares.

The cellar was later refurbished, installing 11 stainless steel vats. In 2001 it changed hands again, to the new Irish owner Lochlann Quinn, who contributed greatly to the development of the estate and improving the quality of the wine. His technical director Stephen Carrier, coming from Chateau Lynch-Bages, revitalized also the cellar and vineyards.

The estate lies on the southern periphery of the Pessac-Leognan appellation, to the west is the Chevalier estate, to the east the town of Martillac, and to the south the forests. The vineyard today covers around 75 hectares, of which 65 hectares are dedicated to red, with the remaining to white.

Cabernet Sauvignon dominates for the red, accounting for 50%, with Merlot 40%, Cabernet Franc 6% and Petit Verdot 4%. The whites has 70% Sauvignon Blanc combining with 30% Semillon. The soil has a Quaternary gravelly-sandy character, with the vines averaging 30 years.

The vines are trained in Double Guyot system, at a density of 8300 vines per ha. The fruit is harvested and sorted by hand, before temperature-controlled fermentation. There are a total of 63 fermentation vats, varying in sizes and materials, with ten wooden, 16 cement and the remaining stainless steel, allowing a plot-by-plot vinification.

After fermentation and maceration it was transported by gravity to the barrel cellar, excavated under the chai. The red wines will see about 12-16 months with 60% new barrel. The white is fermented in oak barriques, but spending less time in oak, around 8-12 months, with only 40% new wood.

Regular batonnage for the white, remaining on lees throughout the elevage, the wines are fined using egg white before bottling. Grand vin is Chateau de Fieuzal with a second wine L’Abeille de Fieuzal, with 45% of the harvest going to the first wine.  There are about 9500 cases of red and 1500 cases of white produced per year.

I have recently tasted the 2001 and 2003 vintage of the red, as well as the 2008 vintage of the white:

Appearance

Clear, deep intensity ruby color, the rims are turning to garnet, with legs.

Nose

Clean, with medium (+) intensity aromas of black fruit such as blackberry, dried fruit of prune, pungent spice of liquorice, maturity notes of cigar box, mineral notes of earth, some herbaceous notes of blackcurrant leaf. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry, the wine has medium acidity and medium level tannin, ripe and silky in texture. It has medium level alcohol, medium (-) body, and medium intensity flavors of black fruit such as blackberry and dark plum, dried fruit of prune, oak notes of cedar, maturity notes of cigarette and savory. The finish is of medium length.

Conclusion

Good quality Pessac-Leognan with good concentration on the nose, showing good complexity but there are hints of herbaceous notes which probably reflected the less ripe vintage of 2001. On the palate it is balanced, with reasonable intensity but the body is a bit on the light side with a sense of ‘dilute’. The finish is of fair length, this wine is ready to drink now and not suitable for further ageing, can keep for 2-3 years.

Appearance

Bright and clear, this wine is of deep ruby color, with legs.

Nose

Clean, the nose shows medium (+) intensity aromas of ripe black fruit such as blackcurrant, blackberry and bilberry, dried fruit of fig, pungent spice of liquorice, animal notes of leather, oak notes of cedar and vanilla, maturity notes of savory. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry with medium acidity, medium (+) tannin of ripe but a bit dusty in texture, the wine has medium alcohol and a medium (+) body, showing medium (+) intensity on flavors, including black fruit of blackberry and bilberry, oak notes of vanilla and cedar, some vegetal notes of black tea, MLF notes of cream. The wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion

Good quality Pessac-Leognan with a good strong nose of high complexity, the palate is balanced, with a robust structure. The palate demonstrates plenty of ripe black fruit but also having other interesting flavors, with good concentration and finish. The only criticism I got is the tannin texture is a bit dusty, but overall still highly enjoyable and good value for money. Ready to drink now though can benefit from further ageing of another 3-5 years.

Appearance

Bright and clear, the wine has deep intensity lemon color, with legs.

Nose

Clean, it has medium (+) intensity aromas of green fruit such as quince, tropical fruit of pineapple, stone fruit of peach, floral notes of elderflower, oak notes of vanilla, mineral notes of waxy, maturity notes of hay. The wine is developing.

Palate

Dry, it has medium (+) acidity and medium level alcohol. Medium in body, with medium (+) intensity flavors of dairy notes of cream, green fruit such as pear and grapefruit, oak notes of toast, stone fruit of peach, floral notes of honeysuckle. The wine has a medium (+) finish.

Conclusion

Very good quality Pessac-Leognan white wine with good concentration on the nose and palate, showing plenty of complexity, it has a good acidity to provide a refreshing yet well-structured body, offering good range of flavors and a fairly long finish. The only criticism is the alcohol is a bit hot on the swallow. Ready to drink now, the wine can benefit from further ageing of another 4-6 years.