Château de Fieuzal 2015

High-toned kirsch aromas. Very ambitious. Dark, tight-knit fruits with good hold from the charcoal and graphite tannins. Impact favoured over restraint, but a well-constructed, high-quality wine.

Blackberry and plums sit amid violets, earthy notes and gentle, hazelnut oak. The palate delivers attractively smooth, supple tannins that carry long flavors of fresh dark cherries. Try from 2020.

Mid cherry red. Leafy, dark-fruited freshness. Dry and cedary on the palate and pretty tightly furled at the moment. Really dry and withheld, almost austere, fine-boned. (JH)

The 2015 De Fieuzal is powerful and a bit burly but certainly not lacking in personality. Smoke, grilled herbs, tobacco, cedar, dried cherry and smoke add nuance to this attractive, midweight wine. All things considered, the 2015 shows quite well today. Drink it over the next few years.

Medium bodied, with a nose already showing secondary notes of tobacco, tar, espresso bean, dark red fruits and forest scents. Soft, polished, silky and sweet, the wine delivers freshness and character in an open style that offers early drinking pleasure, as well as the stuffing to age for up to 2 decades.

Dark ruby, purple reflections, discreet bright rim. Delicate strawberry fruit, ripe plum, tobacco herbal savouriness, and a touch of fine oak character. It is juicy, with floral nuances, red wild berry fruit, discreet tannins, good freshness, and a touch of minerality; it is developed and ready to drink.

I was surprised and disappointed by the 2015 Château de Fieuzal, which comes across as a touch baked, straightforward, and rustic. It has some charm, medium-bodied depth of fruit, and a gulpable style, but this should be better. Tasted once.

70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot. Extremely deep purple with violet highlights. The dark-fruited bouquet releases plenty of blackberry and Alpine blueberry, followed by licorice and very fine smoky nuances. A complex palate with ripe tannins and lovely volume, yet it remains elegant. This is great Bordeaux: lots of aromatic complexity without an overly rich body. This is the second time a red Fieuzal has received such a high score at the en primeur tasting. The previous time was the 2010 vintage. This will be a pretty exciting Léognan value! And therefore a good buy!

Floral, silky, powerful bouquet, black berries, tobacco, seared meat, plums, mocha, vanilla. Velvety, fresh, elegant palate with strong fruit, good tannins, spicy aromatics, muscular structure, long, full finish. Can still improve. 17/20 2022 - 2038

The 2015 de Fieuzal is medium to deep garnet in color and features a wonderfully perfumed nose of dried roses, kirsch, and clove oil leading to a cassis and cigar box core. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers a generous amount of black fruits with plush tannins and a fragrant finish.

Highly expressive nose with fresh, incisive fruit, smoky and menthol notes, great personality; the palate mirrors the same aromatic range, with a silky texture and, above all, a long finish driven by tremendous energy.

Very delicate and easy to drink, with lovely elegance.

A blend dominated by cabernet sauvignon (75%), complemented by small proportions of merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot, the wine is well-structured, round and velvety, with enticing aromas of black berries and pepper.

Garnet-red color. Plenty of fruit on the nose of this Fieuzal! I detect delicate notes of blueberries and a hint of chocolate. With aeration, notes of mint and raspberries add to the complexity of the bouquet. On the palate, the wine shows a beautiful harmony of sweetness, fruit, freshness, and expression. The tannins are well integrated, and the structure supports the wine’s aromatic character on the palate. A very complete, accomplished, and truly seductive wine! Bravo

The nose is fruity, refined, racy and offers a certain power. We find notes of blackberry cream and blackcurrant, combined with fine touches of flint, graphite, as well as delicate spicy notes and a hint of Sichuan pepper. The palate is fruity, indulgent, mineral (racy minerality, terroir), balanced and offers precision, elegance, richness, suavity and a fresh, creamy texture. On the palate, this wine expresses notes of blackberry cream, plum and, more subtly, blackcurrant, combined with hints of licorice, a touch of chocolate and a hint of oak. The tannins are fine and well-managed. Good length and persistence on subtle notes of toasted oak and almond.

Dark color, already slightly evolved. Moderately intense nose with ripe fruit. Fruity, pleasant palate, but a bit light. Medium length.

A fresh bay leaf note streaks ahead of the core of raspberry and red currant coulis flavors, with sleek sanguine and iron details keeping pace. The long, cedar-tinged finish has good tension and energy. Best from 2020 through 2030. 10,000 cases made.

FROM APPRENTICE TO MASTER Stephen Carrier has been in charge of the wines at Château de Fieuzal for around eight years. Before he began working in the south of Pessac-Léognan, he spent time at Cloudy Bay (New Zealand), Newton (California) and Lynch-Bages (Pauillac). I was truly impressed by the 2015 red Fieuzal for the first time during the en primeur tastings, and we decided to pay him a spontaneous visit. I asked him why the red Fieuzal seemed somehow different and better. “With the white wine I found success very quickly, while with the red I still had to go through a bit of an apprenticeship. Maybe I was just trying to push through headfirst. Now I focus more on a longer, gentle cold maceration before the actual fermentation. This gives me two effects: first, the dark-berry aromatics are more intense, and second, the tannins are softer.” 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot. Extremely deep purple with violet highlights. The dark-fruited bouquet releases plenty of blackberry and Alpine blueberry, followed on the second nose by licorice and very fine smoky nuances. Complex palate with ripe tannins and lovely volume, yet remaining elegant. This is great Bordeaux: abundant aromatics without an overly rich body. It’s the second time a red Fieuzal has received such a high score at the en primeur tasting. The last time was the 2010 vintage. This will be an exciting Léognan value!

92–94. Barrel Sample. Smooth and concentrated, this wine is rich while keeping a great sense of freshness. It has a dark power that is restrained by the fine acidity and perfumed black fruits.