Château de Fieuzal 2022

Cool blue fruit and wet stone nuances on the nose, smells fresh and inviting. Smooth and lively on the palate – this balances juicy red fruits – crisp cranberry, strawberry and chalky cherries – with quite powdery tannins giving a full mouthfeel and rich texture. I like the styling, feels well controlled with nuance and subtle power and leaves a lasting impression of mint, liquorice and graphite.

Tasted blind. Very ripe purple fruits on the nose and then a bit skinny on the palate – odd! Not a whole. (JR)

The 2022 Château de Fieuzal has a perfumed, well-defined and complex bouquet with blackberry, wild strawberry, gravel and juniper scents. I like the coolness of the aromatics. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins and a keen line of acidity. It's a more structured de Fieuzal than other vintages, but there is sufficient freshness and delineation on the spicy finish. Give this four to five years in bottle.

Dried flowers, underbrush, cigar box, licorice, and sweet red pit fruits define the nose. The palate’s supple, creamy texture is vibrant and fruity, finishing broad and gorgeous, with chocolate-tinged cherries, currants, and blackberries. The wine blends 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot. Drink from 2027–2045.

Deep ruby garnet colour, purple reflections, subtle ochre rim. Ripe bouquet of nougat and figs, forest berry confit and delicate precious wood nuances. Juicy, powerful and sweet, ripe tannins, cherries on the finish, chocolaty aftertaste, already very accessible, a full-bodied food wine. (01/2025, PM).

A blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot, and 5% Petit Verdot, the 2022 Château De Fieuzal is beautifully elegant, with a deep ruby/plum hue and a perfumed nose of red and black cherries, sappy herbs, and floral nuances. Medium-bodied and balanced on the palate, it has ripe yet polished tannins and a silky texture. It’s not a blockbuster and shines for its balance and purity. It will age gracefully over the coming 10-15 years.

An captivating, heady nose, like the end of a day weighted by the intoxicating scent of flowers, with notes of tuberose and fully ripe red fruits. The palate is a warm embrace, with pure, ripe fruit in pink and red hues. A lovely freshness energizes the finish, marked by notes of coffee and a finely granular texture.

An eye for detail, accuracy, and subtlety lays the groundwork for defining Fieuzal 2022. The wine pays little mind to the vintage; its sole focus is its terroir, with the mission to showcase and highlight it. Even when tempted by opulence, it quickly gets itself back on track to preserve the crescendo it can reveal over the minutes. Thus, nuances of eucalyptus and blackcurrant yield the stage only if more relevant aromatics emerge, such as peony, graphite, and redcurrant notes. On the palate, the wine is squarely focused on freshness, finesse, rigor, and precision. It forges links between sweetness and austerity, breadth and vigor, delight and challenge. A sapid, mouthwatering, authentic wine that will delight many palates over the decades to come. It doesn’t shine for what it could be, but for what it can fully assume, 100%! For my part, certainly the greatest Fieuzal I have been given to taste.

The nose is elegant, fresh, racy, finely sappy, peppery, with a subtle elegant austerity and an infusion-like character. It reveals notes of vibrant Boysenberry, wild black berries, and, more subtly, black pepper, combined with hints of cornflower and star anise, as well as fine touches of smoke, pine needle/terroir sense, and discreet hints of nutmeg. The palate is beautifully guided, supple, fresh, juicy, with brightness, delightfully pure and crystalline. It offers indulgence, precision, and tension. It expresses notes of pulpy/juicy blackberry, bright blackcurrant, and, more lightly, bigarreau cherry, combined with touches of pine needle, a fine hint of purple plum, as well as discreet touches of tobacco and licorice stick. A supple, harmonious wine with a lovely, wildly silky texture, fresh and radiant.

Dark color, of normal intensity, slightly developed. Moderately aromatic, fruity nose. Round, fragrant, flavorful palate, rather discreet. Lacks richness. Average length.

A very expressive first nose, with a fruity, indulgent character. Notes of blackcurrant, strawberry and blueberry unfold with breadth and elegance. The palate entry is gentle, with very fine, silky tannins, marked by notes of dark fruits, a lovely cedar fragrance and Zan with violet. A very well-managed, tailor-made vintage. A wine with real class!

I find that the 2022 from de Fieuzal shows a rather sweet nose, with a touch of caramelised fruit, layered with herbal, leafy notes. On the palate, the texture feels gently polished, with mid-palate depth filled with lightly pressed cranberry and blackberry fruit, alongside the same minty, green peppercorn note picked up on the nose. A slightly powdery, toasted oak note also wraps everything together. There is some lovely fruit here, good structure and a hint of freshness, all coming together quite well; overall though, I expected a little more.

The 2022 de Fieuzal meets all expectations, unfurling with a perfumed bouquet of violet, iris, dark wild berries and flowers. Medium to full-bodied, seamless and layered, it gains depth with élevage, revealing a fleshy core of fruit and an enrobing mid-palate framed by velvety, sweet tannins. Finishing long, ethereal and fresh, this blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot is one of my favorite wines in Pessac-Léognan. It will offer a broad drinking window and should improve with time in the cellar.