"Medium bodied, round, soft and generous with its round, soft, plush fruits on the nose and palate, the wine finishes with round polished, dark red sweet fruits. A little oaky at this stage of development, the wine will need aging before it all comes together."
91 Pts - The Wine Cellar Insider.
Chateau de Fieuzal was bought in 2001 by Lochlann Quinn, the chairman of Allied Irish Banks. Chateau de Fieuzal completed a multi-million Euro renovation of the estate in 2012. By 2020, they were one of the larger Classified Growths in the appellation.
60 hectares of vines are planted to 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, and 5% Cabernet Franc for the red wine grapes.
The vineyard has a terroir of gravel, sand, clay, and small white stones in the soils. One of the unique aspects of their terroir is the Eau Blanche stream, which adds much-needed moisture in the hot, dry vintages. The best parts of the vineyards are on sloping hillsides that reach up to 58 meters at their peak.
On average, the vines are 35 years of age. But their oldest vines are their Petit Verdot, which were planted all the way back in 1908.
Vinification takes place in a combination of 9 stainless steel tanks and 54 new, wood fermentation vats ranging in size from as small as 15 hectolitres up to 185 hectolitres. The steel vats are used to vinify the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. The oak vats are reserved for the Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
The wines are aged in an average of 35% to 50% new, French oak barrels. However, some of the wine is aged in large 400-liter barrels. The aging period ranges from 16 to 24 months, depending on the vintage.
Production at Chateau de Fieuzal is on average, 24,000 cases of red wine.