Wine review of 2014 Château Ferran Pessac-Léognan, Graves red from Bordeaux, France
Score: 90+/100
Château Ferran is a winery in the Pessac-Léognan area of the Graves, South of Bordeaux, with a glorious History of past ownership, including Robert de Ferran, solicitor at the Bordeaux Parliament, who gave his name to the property, and Montesquieu, the famous French philosopher, who owned of the vineyards here during the 18th century.
Today’s managers, Philippe and Ghislane Lacoste, are the descendants of Joseph Beraud-Sudreau’s family who acquired the Chateau in 1880. They have been managing the estate since 1999. Working hard for restructuring the vineyard and renovating the winery.
Chateau Ferran’s estate covers 22.5 hectares in total (55 acres) with 19 ha of red grapes varieties (a dominant surface of Merlot —70%— with 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Petit Verdot) and 2.5 has of whites (65% Sauvignon blanc and 35% Semillon).
The winery’s annual output averages 68K bottles of reds, and 15K bottles of whites.
Chateau Ferran’s second wine comes as Château de Belloc.
Overall Tasting Notes & Impressions
With a relatively dense and dark red color for the Graves, Château Ferran strikes with a vibrant fruity aromatic profile, where the Merlot seems to provide the dominant notes of dark cherry and blond caramel, yet with a typical slightly earthy and clearly spicy edge we like to find in Bordeaux wines.
The palate features a creamy and very soft tannic texture, well rounded by an oily body.
Yes, the more edgy tannins from Cabernet are here, adding grip and character to a slightly drying finish (at this wine’s young age but this will certainly mellow although it’s already enjoyable). But the overall tasting experience is soft, creamy. and generously fruity.
Dark cherry and blackberry are the dominant flavors, while forest floor, wood ashes, clove and nutmeg, and delicate oaky notes add solid depth and a sense of savoriness we expect from an age worthy Graves.
A conclusion?
A very enjoyable, smooth and fine Pessac-Léognan wine, providing everything we love in Bordeaux, but we don’t always get to taste, ripe red berry fruit, smooth dense tannins, a touch of edgy grip in a dry and food-friendly style.
When to Drink?
Delicious to enjoy now to make the most of its fruit’s freshness but will age well for the next 10 years or so if you’re after further depth and umami feel. It should still be excellent in 15 years too if you want to push it.
What about the Quality Price Ratio?
For a $15-$20 price tag, this is genuinely an excellent buy as far as Bordeaux is concerned.
One (an I) would have to taste it across several vintages to confirm, but 2014 wasn’t particularly an excellent vintage in Bordeaux, so one would think Chateau Ferran would come out good in any good-to-excellent year for the region (2015 and 2016 where generally considered much superior to 2014).
It’s got everything you expect from a good Bordeaux as my conclusion highlights, for a very affordable price. The dominant Merlot provides the richness it easily gets in the Graves, while the wine stays true to its origin with the characterful input of Cabernet.
Buy with confidence this 2014 if you can and if you like Bordeaux wine, and let me know how other vintages come through if you ever get a chance to try one!
Enjoy 🙂
Please let me know your thoughts