Winemaker Notes
The wines of Château de Fieuzal have a distinct allure that is inseparable from the place from which they are grown. Every bottle enables them to share Fieuzal's unique energy, bringing to life every aspect of their complex terroir in an intense but precise balance. Fieuzal has the intriguing ability to hold one’s attention, by combining flavor and feeling; the senses and the sensual.
Fieuzal is a delightfully complex blend of multiple grape varieties, authentically expressing the vineyard’s incredible diversity. Aged for an average of 12 months in French Oak barrels, the wine is elegant, confidently expressive and dynamic throughout the whole of its lifetime.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 de Fieuzal meets all expectations, unfurling with a perfumed bouquet of violet, iris, dark wild berries and flowers. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and layered, it gains depth with the élevage, revealing a fleshy core of fruit and an enrobing mid-palate framed by velvety, sweet tannins. Finishing long, ethereal and fresh, this blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot is one of my favorite wines in Pessac-Léognan. It will offer a broad drinking window and should improve with time in the cellar.
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James Suckling
Stemmy herbs with perfumed flowers, spices, morello cherries and baked citrus. Fresh and round with medium body and soft, fine-grained tannins. Long, plump and refined in the finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Château De Fieuzal is beautifully elegant, with a deep ruby/plum hue and a perfumed nose of red and black cherries, sappy herbs, and floral nuances. Medium-bodied and balanced on the palate, it has ripe yet polished tannins and a silky texture. It’s not a blockbuster and shines for its balance and purity.
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Vinous
The 2022 Château de Fieuzal has a perfumed, well-defined and complex bouquet with blackberry, wild strawberry, gravel and juniper scents. I like the coolness of the aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a keen line of acidity. It's a more structured de Fieuzal than other vintages, but there is sufficient freshness and delineation on the spicy finish.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
Recognized for its superior reds as well as whites, Pessac-Léognan on the Left Bank claims classified growths for both—making it quite unique in comparison to its neighboring Médoc properties.
Pessac’s Chateau Haut-Brion, the only first growth located outside of the Médoc, is said to have been the first to conceptualize fine red wine in Bordeaux back in the late 1600s. The estate, along with its high-esteemed neighbors, La Mission Haut-Brion, Les Carmes Haut-Brion, Pique-Caillou and Chateau Pape-Clément are today all but enveloped by the city of Bordeaux. The rest of the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan are in clearings of heavily forested area or abutting dense suburbs.
Arid sand and gravel on top of clay and limestone make the area unique and conducive to growing Sémillon and Sauvignon blanc as well as the grapes in the usual Left Bank red recipe: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and miniscule percentages of Petit Verdot and Malbec.
The best reds will show great force and finesse with inky blue and black fruit, mushroom, forest, tobacco, iodine and a smooth and intriguing texture.
Its best whites show complexity, longevity and no lack of exotic twists on citrus, tropical and stone fruit with pronounced floral and spice characteristics.