Wine Advocate: 94 Points
Offering up aromas of sweet mulberries and blackberries mingled with hints of licorice, violets and red fruit compote, the 2020 de Fieuzal is medium to full-bodied, rich and gourmand, its broad attack segueing into a supple, layered mid-palate that's framed by ripe acids and sweet, powdery tannins. This is a deeper, more powerful Fieuzal than its 2019 counterpart.
This 90-hecatre estate in Pessac-Léognan is undergoing a renaissance in the hands of winemaker Stephen Carrier and consultant Thomas Duclos. Readers who have tasted old wines from Fieuzal will know that there's potential here, but Carrier feels that the estate lost 20 years due to viticultural mistakes of the late 1980s—20 years he's determined to catch up. Today, replanting is at high density (9,000 vines per hectare versus 6,000 in the estate's older plantings), and the varietal balance has been adapted to the soils (some 60% of the vineyard, incidentally, is gravel, with more sandy-clay soils to the southwest). Today, that means around 35% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 10% Petit Verdot. Organic farming has been pursued, but it had to be abandoned in 2018, as the necessary doses of copper to control mildew were becoming too high. Today, reds are fragrant and pure, with discreet tannins and lively fruit tones. Whites (less than 10% of the production) are making obvious progress too: less varietal and more textural, they're waxy and incisive, well worth seeking out. In short, de Fieuzal is an estate to watch.
Customers Viewing This Page Might Also Like These Items
