Château de Fieuzal Blanc 2021

VertdeVin

Robert Parker Wine Advocate

The 2021 Blanc is turning out beautifully, evoking aromas of mint, spices, peach, lemon oil and spring flowers. Medium to full-bodied and perfectly balanced, it’s tense and fleshy, crystalline and seamless, with a fresh, saline and pure finish. It feels reassuringly persistent and could age well over the next two decades. This outstanding wine is crafted from 60% Sauvignon Blanc and 40% Sémillon.

This 90-hecatre estate in Pessac-Léognan is undergoing a renaissance under the guidance of winemaker Stephen Carrier and consultant Thomas Duclos. Readers who have tasted old wines from Fieuzal will know that there's potential here, but Carrier feels that the estate lost 20 years due to the viticultural mistakes of the late 1980s—20 years he's determined to catch up. Today, replanting is at high density (9,000 vines per hectare versus 6,000 in the estate's older plantings), and the varietal balance has been adapted to the soils (some 60% of the vineyard, incidentally, is gravel, with more sandy-clay soils to the southwest). Today, that means around 35% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and fully 10% Petit Verdot. Organic farming has been pursued, but it had to be abandoned in 2018, as the necessary doses of copper to control mildew were becoming too high. Today, reds are fragrant and pure, with discreet tannins and lively fruit tones. Whites (less than 10% of the production) are making obvious progress too: less varietal and more textural, they're waxy and incisive, well-worth seeking out. In short, de Fieuzal is an estate to watch.

Jeb Dunnuck

The 2021 Château De Fieuzal Blanc (65% Sauvignon and 35% Semillon) is terrific and shows the quality of the vintage. Giving up ripe tropical and melon fruits as well as notes of honeyed flowers and chalky, mineral-like nuances, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness, a bright, vibrant, chiseled texture, and a great finish. It's beautifully done and well worth seeking out.

James Suckling

Pretty nose of gooseberries, sliced apples, lime curd and nutmeg. Touch of jackfruit. Fresh, bright and balanced with a medium body and delicious layers of fruit, spice and minerals. Drink now or hold.