2009 Fieuzal
Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2022 8:17 am
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.