Chateau Ferriere 2019
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling - Decanter
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
The rich Cabernet Sauvignon of this wine is beautifully in evidence. With its dense tannins as a foil to the fruit, the wine has both power and finesse. Biodynamic farming has added to the purity of the fruit. It is a fine wine, rich in texture and shows potential future aging.
Barrel Sample: 94-96 -
James Suckling
Blackberries, blackcurrants, violets, bitter chocolate, clay and gravel on the nose. It’s medium-bodied with firm, very fine and integrated tannins. Beautiful texture. Structured, yet with a soft, supple feel. Subtle. 20% in concrete eggs. 70% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot and 5% petit verdot. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.
-
Decanter
There feels to be a real step change in Ferrière this year, with a greater density of fruit and a richer seam of freshness. They have made a few changes in the vineyard, most notably pulling up Merlot that they felt wasn't working and leaving only the oldest Merlots that date back to the 1950s. We may also be feeling the impact of the clay in the gravel soils that helped hold freshness in this hot summer, as well as a reductive style of working in the cellar, bringing SO2 additions down low. Whatever it is, there is violet edging to the colour, a deliciously sappy, energetic quality to the wine, with bright berry fruits, chocolate shavings and a gentle gunsmoke edge that brings interest and grace. 40% new oak, 20% amphoras and cement eggs, and the rest in one year barrels. 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend.
Barrel Sample: 94
Other Vintages
2022-
James
Suckling - Decanter
-
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
- Vinous
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker - Decanter
- Vinous
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
James
Suckling - Decanter
-
Robert
Parker
-
Wine
Spectator -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine &
Spirits
-
Wine
Enthusiast -
Wine
Spectator
-
Wine
Spectator
With its 10 hectares, Chateau Ferriere is one of the smallest classified growths. The vineyard is maily located in Margaux, and the soil consists of very deep gravel on limestone marl. The size of the vineyard, combined with its beautiful terroir, make Chateau Ferriere a rare and highly-valued wine.
Claire Villars Luton is responsible for the revival of this estate. Year after year, she has done her best to bring out the unique terror of Chateau Ferriere in the wine, to restore the vineyard to its original splendor, and to make it fully worth of its prestigious classification.
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.
Silky, seductive and polished are the words that characterize the best wines from Margaux, the most inland appellation of the Médoc on the Left Bank of Bordeaux.
Margaux’s gravel soils are the thinnest of the Médoc, making them most penetrable by vine roots—some reaching down over 23 feet for water. The best sites are said to be on gentle outcrops, or croupes, where more gravel facilitates good drainage.
The Left Bank of Bordeaux subscribes to an arguably outdated method of classification but it is nonetheless important in regards to history of the area. In 1855 the finest chateaux were deemed on the basis of reputation and trading price—at that time. In 1855, Chateau Margaux achieved first growth status, yet it has been Chateau Palmer (officially third growth from the 1855 classification) that has consistently outperformed others throughout the 20th century.
Chateau Margaux in top vintages is capable of producing red Cabernet Sauvignon based wines described as pure, intense, spell-binding, refined and profound with flavors and aromas of black currant, violets, roses, orange peel, black tea and incense.
Other top producers worthy of noting include Chateau Rauzan-Ségla, Lascombes, Brane-Cantenac, and d’Issan, among others.
The best wines of Margaux combine a deep ruby color with a polished structure, concentration and an unrivaled elegance.