News
I’d like to take a few minutes to update you on what we’ve been doing recently at Fieuzal.
We have arrived at a crucial moment for this vintage. We picked the Merlot and the Cabernet Franc between September 29th and October 10th. The quality is remarkable, confirming what I had said previously, and we’ve got really good balance with on average around 13.5 degrees, pH around 3.5 and malic acids below 2.5g/l, all strong signs that the wines will retain their balance in the future. Because balance is everything!
The tanks that have already finished fermenting are showing consistent quality with very pronounced colour, expressing power and finesse, with lovely length. Of course we’ll have to confirm all of this after the malos have finished.
The question today (actually since Friday evening) is, when will we begin to pick the Cabernet Sauvignon? At Fieuzal, where we do everything by hand, we need about 8 days to harvest.
The Cabernet Sauvignon is a grape variety with extraordinary purity and expressiveness when it is mature but if it doesn’t reach it’s peak it offers no compromise. It brings density and character and in my opinion it has a unique way of revealing its terroir. I love it dearly!
We’ll certainely start that on Thursday.
In other news, our whites have finished their fermentation without any problems. Even though it’s too early to say, like for the reds, I did note when we did our first tasting a really consistent quality which will allow us plenty of choice when we come to do the blending.
I must get back to work but I forgot to mention the really good thing about such a long harvest, which is that we can keep the harvest kitchen open that much longer. And nobody’s going to mind that!
Stephen Carrier, Winemaker
18 November 2014