24 hectares, in the heart of the Margaux appellation, deep gravel on limestone marl, Organic and biodynamic (Demeter and Biodyvin) certified.
- 51%cabernet sauvignon
- 41%merlot
- 6%petit verdot
- 2%cabernet franc
Vinification by plot. Alcoholic fermentation with natural yeasts. One daily pumping over for a gentle extraction. 3 weeks of maceration. Vinification at temperatures below 25°C.
18 months ageing: 40% in new oak barrels, 60% in one-year old barrels.
On the nose, Château Ferrière 2017 has floral and chocolate aromas. In the mouth, the tannins are refined. A beautiful freshness, elegance, and an airy side.
James Suckling, 94/100
Antonio Galloni, Vinous, 94/100
Rolf Bischel, Vinum, 18/20
At the end of the 17th century, Mister Gabriel Ferriere, a renowned ship-broker, acquires this cru, located in the heart of Margaux vineyards and gives it his family name. Royal brokers from father to son, the Ferriere family works for Louis the XVth in particular and wants to produce a great wine, for their several receptions. Two centuries later, Château Ferriere’s owners were proud to see the property ranked as a third Classified Growth. At the end of the 1980s, after almost 300 years in the Ferriere family, another Bordeaux family, the Merlaut, became owner. Bernadette Merlaut-Villars devoted herself to restoring the Château to its former glory.
Bernadette's daughter, Claire redesigned the entire production chain, returning to a form of virtuous viticulture: reintegrating biodiversity and banishing the use of chemicals. This naturally led her to a conversion process and the obtaining of biodynamic certification for Château Ferriere’s vineyard and wines.
Pionneer of biodynamics in the Médoc, Château Ferriere inspires vocations. It became the Médoc branch of the Mouvement de l’Agriculture BioDynamique (MABD). The technical team supports wine properties undergoing conversion, federating them and preparing them for biodynamic methods.
More than one third of the property’s vines, comprising the 4 varieties of cabernet-sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc and petit Verdot, were planted in the early 1950s. These old vines are not the result of a clonal selection and thus have their own identity. With their very deep roots, they offer concentrated fruit with complex and powerful aromas. They are also used for planting new vines (massal selection).
The Estate was certified organic in 2015 and biodynamic in 2018.
Château Ferriere is also the only Classified Growth to be twice certified biodynamic, by both Demeter and Biodyvin. It is one of the rare Classified Growths to be biodynamic certified, not only in its vineyard, but also in the cellar.
To be so, Ferriere develops its own starter culture, avoids any input during vinification and limits the addition of sulfur to the strict minimum.
20% of the wine is aged in small ovoid concrete vats, developed by the property in 2012, and the biggest part of the ageing takes place in oak barrels.
Born of this approach are wines that are more mineral, fresh and vibrant that fully express the terroir, without embellishment nor artifice.