2009 Fieuzal
2009 Fieuzal
I’ve always been a champion of the underdog and don’t think twice about going against prevailing opinions if that’s the way I see things. But I must admit that try as I may, I just can’t get excited about Château Fieuzal.
Yesterday, with a roast of beef and potatoes cooked in goose fat, we enjoyed a 2009 red Fieuzal that had been decanted two hours before the meal. I say enjoyed because there was nothing not to like about the wine. However, I really expect more from a great growth in a good year.
I checked the breakdown of grape varieties and was surprised to see 7°% Cabernet Sauvignon because it seemed as though the wine was Merlot-dominated.
I’m convinced that in the time it for takes the tannins to soften (not long), the fruit will be well on the way out. It makes me think that Fieuzal is a wine best drunk young. In fact, I bought this wine at the estate when Nic and I took part in the Portes Ouvertes (Open Cellars Days) in Pessac Léognan several years ago. It made a good impression on me then, but I now feel that I should have opened it a while back, even if that seems odd to those of you who age your Bordeaux religiously on principle.
As for the white Fieuzal, I’ve had a few bum experiences there too, with premoxed bottles (this doesn’t just happen in Burgundy). There was a time when this wine was felt to be at the pinnacle of white Bordeaux, pretty much on a par with Domaine de Chevalier. And it may very well have been. I just never have experienced that.
I’d be interested to read other opinions and experiences.
Best regards,
Alex R.
Yesterday, with a roast of beef and potatoes cooked in goose fat, we enjoyed a 2009 red Fieuzal that had been decanted two hours before the meal. I say enjoyed because there was nothing not to like about the wine. However, I really expect more from a great growth in a good year.
I checked the breakdown of grape varieties and was surprised to see 7°% Cabernet Sauvignon because it seemed as though the wine was Merlot-dominated.
I’m convinced that in the time it for takes the tannins to soften (not long), the fruit will be well on the way out. It makes me think that Fieuzal is a wine best drunk young. In fact, I bought this wine at the estate when Nic and I took part in the Portes Ouvertes (Open Cellars Days) in Pessac Léognan several years ago. It made a good impression on me then, but I now feel that I should have opened it a while back, even if that seems odd to those of you who age your Bordeaux religiously on principle.
As for the white Fieuzal, I’ve had a few bum experiences there too, with premoxed bottles (this doesn’t just happen in Burgundy). There was a time when this wine was felt to be at the pinnacle of white Bordeaux, pretty much on a par with Domaine de Chevalier. And it may very well have been. I just never have experienced that.
I’d be interested to read other opinions and experiences.
Best regards,
Alex R.
Re: 2009 Fieuzal
Hi Alex,
Sounds as though it didn’t really knock your socks off, but neither did your Fieuzal fizzle.
I agree with your assessment: reasonably pleasurable but not exciting. Though it’s been over a decade since I’ve had a Fieuzal. My experience was with their wines from the mid-late ‘80s. Some Graves-y character. A bit oaky though that’s not a total deal-breaker for me. I wasn’t getting any complexity with aging out to 10-15 years. Rather than trying to age them further, I drank up and moved on. Maybe they would have turned out better had I aged them religiously. How does one do that? A shrine to St.Vincent in the cellar?
Back then I’d have put this in the “cellar defender” category: drink young while waiting for the good stuff to develop. But there were less expensive alternatives for that, so I stopped buying.
Sounds as though it didn’t really knock your socks off, but neither did your Fieuzal fizzle.
I agree with your assessment: reasonably pleasurable but not exciting. Though it’s been over a decade since I’ve had a Fieuzal. My experience was with their wines from the mid-late ‘80s. Some Graves-y character. A bit oaky though that’s not a total deal-breaker for me. I wasn’t getting any complexity with aging out to 10-15 years. Rather than trying to age them further, I drank up and moved on. Maybe they would have turned out better had I aged them religiously. How does one do that? A shrine to St.Vincent in the cellar?
Back then I’d have put this in the “cellar defender” category: drink young while waiting for the good stuff to develop. But there were less expensive alternatives for that, so I stopped buying.
Re: 2009 Fieuzal
I used to drink de Fieuzal fairly often. It was reasonably priced and distinctly Graves, but I do not recall ever having a bottle of it that I would call exciting. Your impression of the 2009 is consistent with my experience with older vintages. I just checked that the 2009 sells for $60-70. No way.
Re: 2009 Fieuzal
I thought the 2000 rouge I had a while ago was chock full of typicity, especially on the bouquet, but it wasn't something I was dancing up and down about. I had a bunch of off bottles of the 1989 a lifetime ago, which kind of put me off their wines for a while.
Sometimes as nice or well made a wine is, that particular bottle may not shine. I suppose its balanced out by the times the oddballs or lesser names hit home runs.
Sometimes as nice or well made a wine is, that particular bottle may not shine. I suppose its balanced out by the times the oddballs or lesser names hit home runs.
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Re: 2009 Fieuzal
de Fieuzal is as boring as a '93 Batailly.
It's like a Faugeres, zzz.
It's like a Faugeres, zzz.
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Re: 2009 Fieuzal
Or a Roc de Cambes zzzzzzzzzzzzz
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Re: 2009 Fieuzal
What is more boring, de Fieuzal or Carbonnieux?
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Re: 2009 Fieuzal
Chateau Clarke...
Boring? Not boring? I say boring.
Boring? Not boring? I say boring.
Re: 2009 Fieuzal
Carbonnieux is more boring than de Fieuzal, IMO.
Re: 2009 Fieuzal
I bought 3 bottles of this upon release, but cant really remember why. The first 2 bottles had in 2016 didn't particularly impress and I had the last bottle tonight. The first couple glasses were PNP but I did also decant for a couple of hours.
Beautiful bouquet of intense leather and hints of vanilla. Blackcurrants and black olives. Full bodied, rich and opulent but with quite a short finish. In a good drinking window but I'm not sure it will improve much with time. Interesting I guess, but surprisingly 'modern' with some New World / Australian - almost "Coonawarra" characteristics.
So overall, not boring for me, just not really my style...
Beautiful bouquet of intense leather and hints of vanilla. Blackcurrants and black olives. Full bodied, rich and opulent but with quite a short finish. In a good drinking window but I'm not sure it will improve much with time. Interesting I guess, but surprisingly 'modern' with some New World / Australian - almost "Coonawarra" characteristics.
So overall, not boring for me, just not really my style...
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