CHÂTEAU FERRIÈRE
2017 3ème Cru Classé Margaux
The 2017 Ferrière has a bit more Cabernet in the blend than usual because some parcels of Merlot were hit by the frost. The estate is also undergoing a full conversion to biodynamics, though some of these practices are already well established here. Claire Villars Lurton's 2017 has an inviting nose of cherry and cassis fruit with leafy, floral undertones. The new wood is 40% in this vintage and it lends a firm backbone but there is just enough charming, juicy fruit to balance. It is relatively light in body but what really impresses is the freshness and tension. It glides across the palate toward a grippy, mineral inflected finish. This is a classic, gently assertive Margaux. Drinking range: 2022 - 2035 Rating: 89-91 L&S (May 2018)
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The 2017 Ferrière has a deep garnet color. Surprisingly, the bouquet is driven by the oak at the moment, a trait that I rarely find with respect to this Margaux during en primeur, though the weather may have accentuated that at the time of my tasting. The palate is medium-bodied with densely packed black fruit laced with cedar and graphite. It is a solid Margaux, perhaps just missing the finesse of the 2016 and it needs to muster just a little more refinement once this is in bottle. If it does then you should have a fine Margaux on your hands. Drinking range: 2021 - 2036 Rating: 89-91 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (May 2018)
Dark with black core. Inviting, pure-fruited aroma, without unwanted sweetness or intrusive oak. A little smoky/dusty in a good way. Dark and dusty on the palate too, lots of mineral character but no lack of fruit. Well-managed fine tannins to match the overall shape of the wine. Fresh and in balance. Drinking range: 2023 - 2033 Rating: 16.5 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Apr 2018)
This is fairly austere on the attack, really pulled in, but then it opens with time in the glass. Excellent dark spicy cassis notes lead into an elegant and juicy palate. I can see a real comparison to 2014 - a very good wine with lots to enjoy, real vivacity and persistency. It's aged in concrete vats (lying on their side). 40% new oak. Certified organic since the 2015 vintage and undergoing biodynamic conversion. Drinking range: 2025 - 2038 Rating: 91 Jane Anson, Decanter (Apr 2018)
A very precise and center weighted red with very attractive blackberry and blueberry character. Tight and long. Demeter certified biodynamic. Rating: 93-94 James Suckling, www.jamessuckling.com (Apr 2018)
A sanguine note leads off here, giving this a lively feel, while gently mulled cherry and plum fruit glides in behind. Floral nuances check in on the elegant finish. Rating: 89-92 James Molesworth, The Wine Spectator (Apr 2018)
This estate is located in Cantenac. In this vintage it has a nose of lightly cooked and somewhat herbaceous fruit, reminiscent of raspberry leaf and pine needle. On the palate it is a soft, charming, lightly bodied wine, quite juicy and open, with leafy fruit and a lightly bitter edge, along with lightly grainy and chalky tannins providing a rather firm backbone. It presents what is a rather bitter flavour profile, with a sappy, grippy, slightly dilute and short finish. Rating: 84-86 Chris Kissack, www.thewinedoctor.com (Apr 2018)
Château Ferrière
Margaux Troisième cru 1855 The Ferrière family owned their eponymous estate from its origins in the 18th Century right up until 1914. During the 20th Century, Château Ferrière's star fell considerably with the vineyard leased to Alexis Lichine and the wine made at Château Lascombes, and Château Ferrière was rarely seen or known outside France. Ferrière was purchased by the Taillan Group (who own, among others, Gruaud-Larose and Chasse-Spleen) in 1988, and the story since then has been of continued improvement. The connection with Château Lascombes was ended and all wines are made at Château Ferrière now. Château Ferrière is the smallest of the Cru Classé estates, with just 8ha of vines dispersed around the centre of Margaux village. 80% are Cabernet Sauvignon, with 15% Merlot and 5% Petit Verdot. The Grand Vin spends 18 months in wood (60% new). Both in terms of quality and availability, Château Ferrière is unrecognisable from where it was a few short years ago. Classic, gently assertive Margaux and excellent value for money.