Château de Fieuzal 2013

A brambly spine provides some energy to the core of plum and pomegranate flavors, with a light bay leaf hint chiming in as well. Reveals a light snap of anise at the very end. Drink now through 2018. 7,500 cases made.

Dense red, rich cassis, tobacco and leather on the nose; the 2013 greenness needs to soften.

A pretty red with plum, stone and currant aromas and flavors. Leather and citrus rind. Full-bodied, firm and chewy, yet with some very pretty sweet fruit for the year. Give it one year and enjoy.

Blackcurrants, milk chocolate, light body and something just a little bit underripe on the palate – a certain bitterness, plus grainy tannins. (RH)

Medium-bodied, bright and crisp, with a nice earthy, red-berry and tobacco nose, but it's starting to pick up a tart cranberry note on the finish, suggesting it should be consumed over the next few years before it fades quickly.

The palate is supple and rounded with sweet red fruit, spices and herbs, fine oak and tobacco notes, juicy fruit and good length.

Dark garnet, fairly dense in the center, with a ruby rim. Slightly sweet bouquet, first with fine coconut notes from Allier oak, revealing behind them a red-berried, fresh but just‑ripe fruit. On the palate, surprisingly charming, slender yet easy to drink. Overall, certainly very well crafted technically. Will soon offer plenty of pleasure.

(55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc) Peppery, fresh, lactic bouquet, strawberries, lemon balm, cherries. Fragrant, medium-bodied palate with delicate fruit, sweet, powerful aromatics, good tannins, velvety finish. 17/20 2019 - 2032

The 2013 de Fieuzal is medium garnet in color, with a touch of brick. To begin it has delicate notions of dried herbs, tobacco leaf, and tree bark, giving way to subtle wafts of dried figs and cranberry juice. The light- to medium-bodied palate is a little lean and green, with a chewy finish.

Lovely texture marked by roundness, which sets this cru apart among the 2013 reds. We like the enveloping profile and fairly rich finish, which makes up for the vintage’s lack of flesh. Already open, seductive and plump, it’s a charming Fieuzal.

The color is garnet and the nose slightly vegetal. The wine has good density, is fresh, with honest length. In a few years, it will reveal its shimmering side.

Dark color, with good intensity and beautiful. Fruity, ripe nose. Round, structured, flavorful palate, slightly lively on the finish. Medium body and length.

The enthusiastic use of wood for this wine gives a dark, spicy character that masks any fruit. Less new wood would have helped highlight the natural fruitiness of the wine. Leave it until 2020 and the fruit may fill out. Winemaker Stephan Carrier returned from Napa to take over winemaking after Irish businessman Lochlann Quinn bought the property in 2001.

The 2013 De Fieuzal has an open, quite sensual bouquet with scents of black cherry, wild strawberry and wet stone, an attractive floral aspect developing with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin, succulent in the mouth with good acidity, polished with a smooth, harmonious finish. This is commendable for the vintage, even if it is just missing a little personality.