1996 Château de Fieuzal Blanc
Tasting note
Pale amber in colour. Restrained fruit on the nose, some lychee, physalis and lime zest. Hints of green tones, grass. Floral hints in the background. But it is undoubtedly the secondary and tertiary flavours that now carry the wine: buttery and creamy notes, nuts and beeswax instead of fresh honey dominate the impression on the nose. There are also aldehydic nuances reminiscent of sherry. A slender body with medium alcohol in the mouth. The acidity is pronounced. The flavour is slightly bland. Some dried citrus fruit, lychee and bell pepper. Salty on the finish, with the acidity slightly masking the tired fruit flavours in the aftertaste. An evolved Bordeaux Blanc, hardly made to be drunk at this late stage. Still, there are enough positive flashes shining through to suggest this probably was a very good wine in its younger years. No rating.
Tasted by Dominik Müller on Wednesday, 26 June 2024.
Wine details
| Vintage: |
1996 Very good vintage in Bordeaux, especially in the Médoc, with a good mix of warm temperatures and occassional rainfall when it was needed. For Pomerol and St. Émilion on the right bank, however, prolonged droughts throughout the summer and heavy concentrated rainstorms in August meant conditions were not as perfect for the Merlot grapes there, although eventually healthy grapes were picked there, too. Some excellent dry whites in Graves and sweet whites in Sauternes (perhaps the best vintage after the excellent 1990). |
| Colour: | white |
| Style: | still (dry) |
| Assemblage: | yes |
| Grape variety: | Sauvignon Blanc |
| For assemblages, the main grape variety is shown. | |
| Producer: | Château de Fieuzal |
| Country: | France |
| Region: | Bordeaux |
| Subregion: | Graves |
| Appellation: |
Pessac-Léognan AOC Left bank appellation in Bordeaux forming the northern part of Graves ("Haut-Graves"). Prior to getting its own AOC in 1987, Pessac-Léognan belonged to the broader Graves AOC. The highest-rated Graves châteaux all lie in the Pessac-Léognan AOC. Gravel soils. About 1,750 hectares under vines with three quarters red wine. Predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot for reds, plus Cabernet Franc and Malbec ("Côt"); Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon for whites. Generally fuller-bodied reds compared to the right bank. The age-worthy dry whites are typically fermented in oak barrel. |
| Vineyard: | n/a |
| More details on this wine. | |
| View this wine on CellarTracker. | |
More tasting notes on this wine:
- 14 Jan 2023: 1996 Château de Fieuzal Blanc (flawed)