Mainly Ch de Fieuzal (Vertical Tasting)

Central London Wine Society
Presenter: Paul Mapplebeck
Reviewer: Ian McLaren
31 Jan 2007

 

Paul has been collecting Ch de Fieuzal (Grand Cru Pessac-Léognan) from the western part of the Graves in Bordeaux (France) for many years. The estate produces fine white and red wine. The estate has plantings of roughly 50% Sémillon, 50% Sauvignon Blanc for whites and 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 30% Merlot for reds. Ch Haut-Gardère was part of Ch de Fieuzal until the early twentieth century, and has now been reacquired. The wines (mostly single bottles) came from Paul’s cellar: the last two wines were decanted immediately before tasting. The 1986 was blended from three half bottles. There was general agreement on the marks (21 tasters), although I marked the 1986 and 1995 higher than the 1990. The average mark for the red wines was 4.8 (well above average).

	Wine	Eye	Nose	Palate	Finish	Maturity	Mark	Source	Price
	(Country, Region, Name, Grapes, Alcohol %)	(Colour, Depth, Rim, Clarity, Mousse)	(Fruit, Oak, Secondary aromas)	(Tannin, Sweetness, Acidity, Weight)	(Length, Development)		(Average)		(Current UK market)
1	Chile (Casablanca) 2005 Cono Sur El Marco 14% Gewurztraminer	Some green-gold No browning Quite bright	Aromatic but not very varietal	Tropical fruit,rather acidic, Commercial starter/party wine	Moderate length, rather hard	Nearly ready	3.5	ASDA	£8
2	1995 Ch de Fieuzal Blanc 12.5%	Dull amber	Strongly maderised, some v.a.	Less unpleasant, but dull and nutty	Unpleasant	Badly oxidised	1.0	Reimported from US	c£40
3	2000 Ch Haut- Gardère 13%	Moderate depth, some browning	Black fruits, hints of hedgerow	Well balanced, but rather thin	Not much length or development	Drink now	3.7	Not known	c£16
4	1999 Ch de Fieuzal 12.5%	Good purple-red Pink & brown rim	Blackcurrant, some vanilla, slighty green	Stalky, rather green tannins, some fruit	Quite long but not very exciting	Might develop further	4.5	Majestic	£18
5	1998 Ch de Fieuzal 12.5%	Starting to brown, rather dull	Red fruits, stalky	Very drying tannins and acidity	Rather hollow, quite short	Unlikely to improve	4.5	Bedales	£23
6	1997 Ch de Fieuzal 12.5%	Good depth, quite bright	Rather stalky, some mineral hints	Still tannic, fruit lacking, rather green	Drying and ungenerous	Might soften a bit	4.4	Majestic	£17
7	1996 Ch de Fieuzal 12.5%	Good colour and depth, maturing rim	Cedar, vanilla, blackcurrants	Delicate fruit structure balanced	Mainly structure Not very mature	Needs more time	5.0	Not known	c£30
8	1995 Ch de Fieuzal 12.5%	Good colour and depth, maturing rim	Brambles, compost	Rich fruit, ripe tannins and acidity	Long, rich and complex	Delicious now	5.5	Not known	c£28
9	1990 Ch de Fieuzal 12.5%	Solid black-red with brown on rim	Backward, some green hedgerow	Fruit lacking, structure mainly acidity	Tight, modest length, rather disappointing	Fully mature	5.6	Not known	c£30
10	1986 Ch de Fieuzal 12%	Brick-red, broad browning rim	Dark fruits and boiled peas	Good fruit, and structure (mainly Acidity)	Great length and development	Enjoy soon	5.4	Not known	C£40