My friend Alain Bringolf of WineStat/Winemega was in town and so I visited several interesting estates with him on Tuesday and Thursday.
The first was Château Ferriere (by the way, there's no accent en the 2nd e). I was anxious to go there because this is about the only Médoc classified growth I have never been to.
Before setting out, I checked the World Altas of Wine to see where I needed to go. However, this was out of date and the actual Ch. Ferriere is now abandoned and used as a storage area. In fact, Ch. La Gurgue, located in the center of town was recently rechristened Ferriere (in the same way that the present-day Ch. Malescot St. Exupéry was the original Ch. Desmirail).
La Gurge was acquired by the Villars family in 1978 and Ferriere in 1988. However, they have only had a free hand in running Ferriere since 2002. Claire Villars is in charge here, as she is at another family-owned estate, Haut Bages Libéral. She is married to Gonzague Lurton of Durfort Vivens.
Ferriere is the smallest of the great growths (10 hectares). It has had a checkered history and was for several years more or less the second wine of Ch. Lascombes.
The cellars are quite recent and have a somewhat… discotheque feel with different-colored glass built into the ceiling!
We tried 3 wines: 2006 La Gurgue, 2006 Ferriere, and 2006 Haut Bages Liberal. The best of the three was the HBL. Frankly, I was hoping for more from Ferriere, giving it very much the benefit of the doubt, wishing that this little-known wine would be a "sleeper," and a good option for the wine lover willing to go off the beaten path. Alas, it was certainly good but, if the 2006 is representative, still has a long way to go to be a star of the appellation.
I went from Ferriere to a business lunch at Ch. Kirwan. They have just renovated an outbuilding and opened a large function room there. We tasted 2004 Kirwan, 2001 Les Charmes de Kirwan, and 1998 Kirwan. The first wine was not to my taste, and I had a frank and friendly discussion about it with their P.R. person. I found it seriously over-oaked and somehow "denatured". The sequence in Mondovino with Michael Broadbent inevitably came into the discussion. Michel Rolland was consulting enologist at the time, but he no longer works with Kirwan. The 01 Les Charmes was another kettle of fish altogether. Light, elegant, and very enjoyable at table. The 98 Kirwan was maybe unexciting, but it was in a classic mold and anyone would qualify it is serious wine. It is fine to drink now.
Today was spent on the Right Bank. First stop was Ch. Feytit Clinet in Pomerol. This wine was in the "lacklustre" category for years, and was long part of the Moueix stable. However, in a unique and very complicated turn of events, Moueix was evicted as "fermier" (or, tenant farmer if you prefer), and the Chasseuil family who owned half of the estate bought the other half that was due to be left to the city of Bordeaux, but never made it because of some administrative technicality, and was auctioned off.
The Moueix family never considered Feytit Clinet as one of their prize estates and Feytit Clinet was not in very good shape when the Chasseuils took over in 2000. Jeremy Chasseuil, in his 30s, is from Paris, but decided to move to Pomerol to manage the estate. He took his responsibilities very seriously and became a qualified enologist. He has poured his heart and soul into Feytit Clinet. The improvements have been spectacular and people are beginning to sit up and take notice. We tasted the 2003 which was very elegant, without any of the jammy flavors or top-heaviness sometimes found in that vintage. The retail price of the 2004 was 35 € and the 2006 is 38 € - very good value for money in this expensive appellation, and a wine to watch.
Next stop was Ch. Lafleur. We were shown around by the owner, Jacques Guinaudeau, who is a very intense and articulate man who takes great pride in every detail concerning his estate. The 10 hectare vineyard has 4 different soil types, which we discovered walking around in the freezing rain. The mix of grape varieties is quite unusual for Pomerol – 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot.
We tasted 3 wines: 2007 Les Pensées de Lafleur, 2007 Lafleur, and 2004 Lafleur. All of these share a very sophisticated smoothness on the palate. The 2007 was very good indeed and I drank, rather than tasted the 2004, which was memorable. One has to forget the notion of value for money here. The prices are stratospheric and increases since 2005 have been huge. However, I'm glad to have had tasted it, even if I can't afford it!
Lunch was at L'Antre in Saint-Emilion. We had a wine that is trendy in French wine circles, 2006 Ch. Beauséjour, Montagne St. Emilion, Cuvée 1901 (vines planted in 1901). This seemed slightly rustic after Lafleur, but it opened up beautifully in the decanter and would surely shine in a blind tasting!
The last visit of the day was to Ch. Ausone. We spent 2 hours with Alain Vauthier who is a mine of information and a very gracious host. Ausone is undergoing a major renovation. The château is completely gutted at present and there are workman all over the place.
Ausone is itsy-bitsy. When you see a whole year's crop in just a few barrels you begin to understand why it is so rare and expensive.
We tasted 5 wines. 2006 Simard was a little on the light side, but refreshing and delicious. 2005 Fonbel is a crowd pleaser and reasonably priced. 2001 Moulin Saint Georges had the smack of St. Emilion terroir with plenty of body and a slightly hot finish. 1998 Ausone had a worrying sniff at first, but this dissipated over time. The length and texture on the palate were remarkable. A fitting end to a memorable day.
Best regards,
Alex R.