Tasting Notes
JancisRobinson.com 17/20
Barrel sample. Deep, dark cherry red. A little more lifted and floral than La Gurgue but still with concentrated dark fruit. Dark and rocky and mineral on the palate, finely textured tannins, dusty in a good way. Layer upon layer of tannins. Big and firm and dry on the finish. Needs lots of time for the oak to recede but it has the freshness to balance, even if the freshness comes partly from the tannins. (JH)
Anticipated maturity: 2028-2038
Vinous 94/100
The 2018 Ferrière is a powerful, tightly wound wine. Inky dark fruit, gravel, cured meats, graphite, smoke and lavender all run through the 2018. Readers will have to be especially patient, as the 2018 needs time to unwind. Yields are down from an average of 45 hectoliters per hectare to just 26, which no doubt contributes to the wine's natural intensity. The blend is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc, in other words, the Cabernet Sauvignon is especially high, a recent trend here because of climate change. This is the first year in which a portion of the wine was aged in cement and amphora (20%), which according to Claire Lurton allows for lower SO2 in aging.
Anticipated maturity: 2026-2048
