de Fieuzal 2006

Herbaceous smoked meat and charcuterie notes are followed by a solidly constructed, medium-bodied wine that finishes somewhat harshly and abruptly. Perhaps I caught it at a difficult stage of development as it is certainly good to very good, but not exceptional.

Tasted blind at Farr Vintners' 2006 horizontal, the 2006 de Fieuzal has a comparatively lighter nose than its peers, brambly red berry fruit, scorched earth and a touch of leather. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin, a little powdery in texture, but rather conservative with moderate depth on the finish. It has never quite delivered on its promise from barrel, but it should drink well for another decade.

Relatively light purple. Low-key nose but supple, fresh fruit on the palate. Very fine. I do hope this sort of wine will not be ignored as it is so much more comfortable to drink than many of the right bank wines. A little angular with slightly less than fully ripe tannins. Nice crunchy fruit on the finish.

Red-ruby. Complex, soil-inflected aromas of licorice, tobacco, cedar, lead pencil and nutty oak, complicated by a slightly herbaceous acorn note and good floral lift. Densely packed, ripe and plush, with attractive sweetness and a rather fine-grained texture. The building tannins are nicely ripe and sweet. This will drink well young.

Tasted in London. Stubbornly closed on the nose with touches of blackberry leaf, a hint of boysenberry and sloes. Lacks a little definition at the moment. The palate is medium-bodied, elegant with firm tannins and fresh acidity. Well-balanced with sweet ripe blackberry and a touch of cassis. Good weight on the finish: something that de Fieuzal can lack sometimes. Very fine.