1996 Château de Fieuzal
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Tasting notes
The 1996 de Fieuzal has aged gracefully in the many years since I last tasted it. The nose has retained commendable freshness with blackberry, chestnut and roasted herbs and a touch of balsamic. Still, there is satisfactory freshness given that it is now 20 years old. The palate is fully mature with spicy black fruit laced with soy and allspice. There is something almost Oriental about this de Fieuzal, but it deserves respect because it has held up strongly after two decades and there remains plenty of fruit on the finish. Sure, this Pessac-Léognan leans towards the rustic side of things, but it has ten years of pleasure to give. Tasted April 2016.
Critic scores
Wine Spectator
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
TCA. (JR)
Tough, and tightly constructed. Plenty of crushed-berry character with hints of tobacco and mushroom. Medium-bodied, with firm tannins and a dark-chocolate aftertaste. Slightly dry on the finish from the masses of tannin. Best after 2002. 7,000 cases made. James Suckling,Wine Spectator 1999.
As I had optimistically hoped, Fieuzal's 1996 has fleshed out its mid-palate. It exhibits a saturated purple color, in addition to an intense charcoal, smoky, mineral, and black fruit-scented nose. Highly-extracted and rich, with a sweet, concentrated mid-palate, and plenty of muscle and tannin in the moderately long finish, this backward yet promising Fieuzal should last for two decades. Anticipated maturity: 2006-2020.|| Wine Advocate.April, 1999
About the producer
Named after the Fieuzal family who owned this estate until 1851, today Ch. de Fieuzal is owned by the Quinns. Since their arrival in 2001, the Irish family has restored the property and built its reputation for quality.